Silver and Sapphire
by Pomtree97
Summary: When Annika Vvanderfell strolled into Jorrvaskr Aela had the feeling that everything was going to change. Is she simply another whelp, or something much more? Aela x Fem/Dragonborn/Dovahkiin. Werewolf drama.
1. I

**Hey Dragonborns! I absolutely love this pairing (Fem Dragonborn and Aela) and have read/reviewed a lot of the fanfics here. Finally I decided to contribute to it since I guess it's not as big as other pairings. Please don't hate or anything like that, and reviews are greatly appreciated, probably more than they should be. **

The huntress rolled her eyes in disgust when she saw that lowly bard, Mikhail, flirting with Carlotta again. How many times did he have to get rejected before the milk-drinker of a Nord learned his lesson? She rolled her shoulders a bit, walking through the Plains District after having dealt with a farmer having problems with giants. Aela had done so many jobs similar to that, they started to sort of blend together at such a steady rate she was unable to tell them apart. Being experienced with that sort of situation she returned mainly unscathed, other than her shield which had taken a beating thanks to the giants' bothersome clubs. After a trip to Eorlund she knew the scrapes and dents would be practically invisible.

Right before the huntress was about to step up the stairs into the Winds District, she caught a glimpse of Uthgerd walking into the Bannered Mare. The two locked eyes for a moment, Aela forcing her expression to remain neutral while Uthgerd didn't try to hide the sneer she gave her. She didn't think anything of it. Uthgerd behaved that way towards all of the Companions. After the death of that boy the blood was on her hands, and she showed little remorse. Companions weren't just supposed to be strong. They had to be selfless and brave in the heat of battle, risking their lives to even save the most ungrateful vagabond. Uthgerd wasn't like that, she made that clear enough after storming out of Jorrvaskr with a deathly scowl. The huntress and her Shield-siblings watched her go with folded arms.

Aela changed her pace from walking to a steady jog, wanting to return to the mead hall as fast as possible for some reason. All she wanted was to down a few pints before retiring in her quarters. That giant hadn't left her with any major damage but she was a bit tired from the long journey back - the client having been on the border of Riften. Once she set her eyes on that welcoming, familiar hearth in the center of Jorrvaskr she knew that she would feel at home again. But first she had to deliver her shield to Gray-Mane so he could repair it. Aela knew that there was no way she would leave on a mission without her shield on her arm, having done so a few times before and paying dearly for it.

When Aela reached the familiar forge, stone eagle looking ready to fly, she was a bit confused to see that Eorlund wasn't there. Shrugging a bit she simply placed the dented steel barrier onto the ground near his grindstone. As she made her way to the mead hall she glanced at the courtyard behind it to see a few of her Shield-Siblings there, idly training or chewing on bread. Her stomach ached at the sight of the golden crust. Having been away from Whiterun for a good few days on that mission had left her only eating meat on her travels, and for a rare time in her life she actually craved something different.

The door creaked open, announcing her presence to whoever was in the hall. The weight of the wood made it close behind her on its own. Aela sighed heavily in content. Farkas tilted his head a bit on his thick neck and he spotted her immediately, a smile spreading across his patchy, rough bearded face. The grin was familiar to her, and her Shield-Brother walked towards his Sister, Vilkas playfully punching at his arm as he passed him by. Aela took a few steps forward and leaned against one of the support columns, the smooth wood soothing. When Farkas reached her the two shook arms, the huntress smiling as well.

"Good to have you back, Aela," Farkas greeted her, his smirk not at all fading. She always felt nothing but sheer happiness when he greeted her like that. The twin acted as if she had been gone for all of eternity, or as if the two had just recently met and he was trying all over again to befriend her. His greeting was unlike any other. Skjor's was usually nothing but a curt nod, and Vilkas' might give her a small grin if he was caught on a good day. Yet Farkas never did it any differently, no matter what difficult times he was going through. She appreciated it more than he could have known but she never said that aloud.

"Good to be back, Farkas." She released her loose grip on his arm, looking towards one of the banquet tables. Her eyes immediately went to one of the many untouched bottles of mead. She felt her mouth beginning to water at the sight and she desperately wanted to drink it. Farkas noticed her wandering eyes and he let out a throaty chuckle, making her gaze return to him.

"I'm guessing you've been craving mead for quite some time, then," Before she had the chance to retort with something she probably wouldn't have been able to think of, Farkas turned on his heel, walked towards the table, and scooped up a bottle. Returning to her he placed it into her hand, the huntress immediately reaching towards it and ripping the cork from the neck. Taking a swig, Farkas' smile remained even broader, "I see that I'm right yet again."

Aela withdrew her lips from the bottle and nudged his steel armor with her elbow, "Quit boasting, you're starting to sound like your brother," Her eyes drifted to Vilkas a bit, who was trying to give the drunken Torvar a lecture on Companion history. That was an absolute lost cause.

Farkas shrugged a bit, "I caution you, Sister, don't let him hear those words. He'll make you eat them, and don't think this is me in his defense." He put one hand on the back of his neck, eyes being averted. Aela vaguely knew of the oaf defending his brother's conceited ways, but it was only because the two of them were so close. Maybe it was based on the fact they were related by blood and he felt it was his duty. Aela wasn't sure.

"Alright, I'll take your word for it," She turned her gaze to the stairs leading down to the quarters, taking another drink from her bottle. It was running out of alcohol far faster than she wanted it to be, "I'll see you in a bit, this journey has been a burden. I feel as if I haven't slept in days," Farkas gave her a friendly nod, clapping her gently on the shoulder. After the brief parting gesture she walked towards the stairs, finishing her bottle before she even reached the basement.

As she walked down the stone hall lined with tables bearing food, she snatched a small hunk of bread and basically swallowed it whole. She growled a bit in the back of her throat when she realized there were on more mead bottles on the tables, and tossed her empty one to her feet. The glass clattered but didn't break, rolling beneath a bench. Not caring much she simply walked blindly to her quarters, the small amount of mead making her a bit tipsy which simply added to how drowsy she already felt. At the sight of her bed, the exhausted huntress felt as if it were miles away when it was mere footsteps from where she stood. Almost worrying that she wouldn't make it, she finally got there and collapsed on the fur blankets, not even bothering to take off her armor or remove her weapons. She fell asleep as soon as she was off the ground.

* * *

"Aela! By Talos what's gotten into you?" The huntress felt a familiarly firm hand on her shoulder, shaking her roughly. Her eyes reluctantly opened, grumbling sleepily at Skjor. How long had she been out? Sitting up in her bed, her friend stood at her side. His arms were crossed and he looked far from amused. What was going on? Skjor naturally looked that way most of the time, unless he was plastered drunk, which wasn't too often. But he wouldn't have woken her unless something serious had happened. Her drowsiness left her at the thought.

"What's going on Skjor?" She asked, standing up. Her joints ached and she had an indentation of a sheath in her skin from the dagger she didn't bother taking off her waist.

Skjor fumbled around in his pockets for a few moments, tugging out a small scrap of paper. It was little more than a napkin but he held it in his palm like it was made of gold. Scraggly words were written in ink, a small illustration scrawled beneath them. It was too distant for her to tell what it was. Judging by the way he gripped it she was starting to understand he wasn't going to let her read it any time soon. He liked being in control of that sort of thing.

"It's the fragments again," He said, the one word making her realize the topic was Wuuthrad, the famed axe of Ysgramor. Honestly Skjor and Vilkas were far more interested in recovering the shards than she. It wasn't that she didn't want to see the legend restored, she just thought it wasn't as large a priority as the two made it seem. Yet she helped them every time they requested it. Doing her best to seem interested, Skjor continued, "A scholar stopped by and gave me this, running off in a hurry. I'm not sure why, maybe he had the Silver Hand on his tail. They're becoming more of a problem lately."

Aela smoothed her crimson hair down, finding it more and more difficult to keep herself focussed. Everything was getting so monotonous around Jorrvaskr lately and she found herself taking more and more jobs just to get away from the mead hall. Skjor was getting suspicious and a little bit more clingy whenever she _was _around. It was clear that he missed the times they used to spend together but that was done. She just prayed to the Divines that he didn't try to rekindle what was lost. Her silver eyes drifted at the memories. He was awaiting a response to what she had said but the huntress was becoming lost in thought.

Footsteps that came down the hall echoed in the stone hall outside her room, making her beast-like sense pick up that it wasn't any of the usual companions. They sounded to steady to be Torvas, too light to be Farkas, and too even to be Ria or Njada. Brow furrowing, she looked towards the open door to her bedroom, having a feeling that whoever made the sounds was going to stop there. In mere seconds, a figure appeared there. It nearly made the huntress gasp aloud.

Never in all of her years had she seen a more beautiful sight. A Nord woman stood in her doorway, donned in scaled armor reeking of custom magic. On her back lay a bow and quiver, on her waist a sharpened dagger. But her protection and weaponry wasn't what had the huntress' attention. The Nord was gorgeous. Her face was perfectly set, deep blue eyes staring at her, brow furrowed a bit. Her skin was flawless and pale, the only noticeable thing on it a shallow scar on the right side of her jaw. Her lips were crooked into a sort of pout, a pale red color standing out greatly in an amazingly attractive way. Reddish brown hair cascaded down the sides of her face, tied in a few loose braids that stopped at her chin. She was the most perfect looking woman Aela had ever seen in her entire life. The huntress felt her mouth drop open a bit but did her best to hide it.

"Are you Aela?" The beautiful woman asked. Her voice sounded brave and stoic, tone even and almost making the huntress faint at the sound. It was only then that she spotted her shield, repaired in the mysterious Nord's arm. Eorlund must have asked her to deliver it.

Aela knew that she was being ridiculous and that her staring would soon be detected by Skjor. Resisting the urge to clear her throat, she nodded, "Yes, who are you?" She hadn't even expected to ask that but for some reason the huntress yearned to hear the woman's name.

The woman shifted a bit where she stood, taking Aela's shield from her arm and walking a bit further into her bedroom. Extending her hand, the huntress' tool of blocking still in it before speaking again in an alluring tone, "Annika Vvanderfell. Here," Aela took the shield, feeling Annika touch her hand just a bit and almost feeling herself freeze there, wanting their hands to remain connected forever. Using nothing but her willpower she pulled her hand away, grasping the handle of her shield with white knuckles to keep herself composed, "Eorlund sent me." Annika didn't bother stepping out of the room and Aela didn't want her to leave in the slightest. But Skjor was going to keep that from happening.

"I saw you training in the yard with Vilkas earlier," He took a step closer to Aela in almost a protective manner. He must have noticed the huntress' enthrallment with Annika and was worried, "You gave him quiet a thrashing."

Aela found herself getting more and more interested in this woman. Beautiful and a strong enough warrior to nearly best Vilkas? The thought made a chill go up her spine at the sheer perfection that stood before her. If she was training with a Shield-brother that must mean she planned on joining the Companions. But why at such a terrible time? Kodlack had just recently instructed them to start waning themselves off of the Beast Blood, and now he was allowing in more new blood.

Annika shrugged, being modest no doubt. That was good. Aela hated it when the Companions boasted about training, no matter who it was or how good they really were. Bragging was unneeded and it made whoever did it sound more than conceited, "It was even enough. He's strong with a hammer."

Aela cut in, needing to talk more with the woman, "How do you think you would fare in real combat with Vilkas?" It sounded strained and thrown into the conversation awkwardly. But when Annika locked eyes with her and another series of chills went up her spine, she didn't care how, she just knew that she wanted to befriend her. And maybe a little more than that.

"I don't care much for boasting..." The way that she mischievously trailed off made Aela smirk a bit. Although this Nord wasn't being totally honest about it, Aela could tell she was confident in her chances of winning. Skjor then took another step towards her, the space between the two not that small. Before he had tried to hide his attempt at getting closer, but now he was being more outright with it. Aela felt her cheeks burn with a light blush, not wanting Skjor to do that sort of thing at that moment. Her face paint covered it and the dim lighting of her room made it practically invisible.

"Farkas!" Skjor called out, a little too loudly for how closely she was to him. Aela tensed up a bit, glaring at him from the corner of her eye. Annika was still staring at her, brow furrowed. Every now and then her gaze drifted at the space between the two Companions before she smiled knowingly, crossing her arms. Aela's blush deepened.

The twin's heavy, uneven footsteps were easy to detect as he stomped through the hall. The black-haired Nord reached the doorway to Aela's bedroom and hovered at Annika's side. The way he didn't even glance at her made the huntress shocked - how could you not look at that beauty? Aela clenched her fist behind her shield, for some reason wanting to smack the oaf upside the head with it.

"You call me?" He asked in his scratchy voice. Again, his cold eyes didn't look at Vvanderfell at all. Although Aela and he were close friends sometimes the two did butt heads. At that moment she almost wanted to lash out at him when she glanced at Annika's stunning beauty again but she didn't. Aela was good at restraining her anger.

"Of course we did, ice brain." Aela spat out the insult and it felt a little unnatural rolling off her tongue. The last time she had insulted him like that was years before, and that had been after she missed a deer by mere inches with her arrow, him heartily guffawing. It was too late to apologize for the insult, plus she wasn't sure if she felt badly or not yet. Staring into her friend's eyes and trying to convey what she felt through them, she continued, "Show Annika where the others sleep, will you?" Her voice sounded a bit more soft that time. She felt Skjor's good eye on her but she didn't meet his gaze.

Annika was still staring at the huntress. She didn't know why but it was making her nearly shake. For some reason she felt as if Vvanderfell had literally crawled beneath her skin and was wriggling about there, even though the two had barely had a legitimate conversation. The huntress also felt as if Annika knew that the huntress was looking at her in a certain way and was toying with it. She hoped to Talos that wasn't the case.

"Annika?" Farkas asked, tilting his head to look at the Nord for the first time. His expression remained the same, "Oh, I remember you." The two must have already met. That explained it, "Here, follow me." Farkas stomped out of Aela's view. The huntress locked eyes with Annika again, the sapphire and silver clashing a bit. Something was displayed there but Aela couldn't tell what it was. After hovering for a good few moments, the Nord turned on her heel and walked off. Aela found herself watching the Nord's hips as she left. Skjor's voice snapped her out of the trance Annika's departure left her in.

"You seemed a bit interested in that whelp," He observed, turning fully to face her. The space between them was much smaller than she would have liked it to be. Turning as well, Aela looked him up and down with a slight sneer, the look of distaste not making Skjor mve.

"She seems interesting as all. Plus she must have been pretty impressive if Kodlack let her in at a time like this." The huntress crossed her arms, wondering if her friend was going to start an argument.

"I suppose so. But she's the same as all the others, cocky. That'll go away after her proving, I'm sure," He shrugged a bit, a silence growing after his words. Aela wasn't going to break it, not feeling the need to. Although it was thoroughly awkward she simply stood, eyes averted from his face. Skjor spoke again, "We should go on a hunt. Sometime soon... I'll see you later, we can discuss this Wuuthrad issue then." He stepped away, relieving the huntress greatly, "Also I'm going to help with that new one. I wonder if she'll be able to handle it..." Skjor then left her bedroom before she had a chance to question his quizzical wording.

Handle what? The Companions? The proving? Or was he foreboding something greater that she missed? Annika seemed like a strong Nord who could definitely handle herself in a fight. Aela moved to her bed, sitting down to think for a moment.

For some reason she had a feeling that Annika's arrival was going to change everything.


	2. II

**Wow. This has only been up for a day or two and it already has even more feedback than any of my other ones. Thanks so much you guys! This is amazing. In response to one of the reviews, obviously this is going to be a multi-chapter story, haha :D**

Annika was in the Companions. Aela had offered to monitor the beautiful woman during her Proving but Skjor of course told her he assigned Farkas the job first. Yet she spotted him pull the ice brain from the banquet table that night. Aela knew that he was just asking then. Skjor didn't want her spending any more time with Annika than she already was, which wasn't much. It turned out that the Nord was also the legendary Dragonborn, which made the huntress even more enthralled with her. Annika was perfect and amazing in every way. Everytime she walked into Jorrvaskr, which wasn't too often, Aela felt herself tingle or freeze where she stood. Sometimes the Dragonborn would look at her but the two rarely spoke. Annika had tasks to tend to, running frequent errands for Farkas. Aela found that she was spending more and more time in the mead hall, not wanting to be absent if Vvanderfell showed her face again.

It wasn't long before Skjor got that look in his eye again. That he definitely had something to tell her but he was keeping it to himself. Companions were good at hiding their emotions but Aela was good at reading through her friend. When she had the chance the huntress pulled him to the side, wondering if she was making a bad decision. For all she knew he might be trying to rekindle their old relationship or he was going to deliver some sort of horrible news. He seemed to be unpredictable.

"Skjor what's going on? You've been acting odd lately." She kept her voice low, the rest of the drinking Companions not far off around the hearth. The distance between the two was fairly large and she planned on keeping it like that, although judging him it might change soon enough.

He shifted from foot to foot, looking more awkward than she had ever seen him before. Aela put her hands onto her hips, brow furrowing. Skjor ran his finger along his large facial scar briefly, "I spoke with Kodlack recently. It was about that new whelp." His arms crossed.

Rolling her eyes the huntress glowered at him a bit, "That 'whelp' has a name you know, it's Annika." Although she sounded a bit defensive Skjor already sensed something between the two. Aela wasn't too good at hiding feelings like that, although she was positive that the Dragonborn had no knowledge of her feelings. Besides, how could Annika know of them if Aela wasn't sure of them yet herself? Her eyes moved away from him, a usual confliction returning.

"I know her name," He shrugged, his shoulderplates clanging a bit, "She's being let into the Circle... Kodlack claims she's going to 'change things'. Old man's losing his head a bit if you ask me." Envy was shown clearly in his voice and expression. It made Aela suppress a smile. Annika hadn't been in Jorrvaskr for a few weeks, at least not to her knowledge. For some reason she felt as if she was suffering withdrawl from a drug. Seeing Annika made her heart swell although she wasn't entirely sure how she felt yet. Skjor put his hand onto his balding head, clearly feeling a bit tense, "You're going to be her forebear. It's tonight. You know the drill." Skjor walked off without another word, leaving Aela to stand with her mouth agape.

Annika Vvanderfell, the legendary Dragonborn, was going to drink her beast blood and become one of the Circle members. It was almost overwhelming. The two had barely had a conversation except for a share of their adventures once at a banquet. But before the two could get fully acquainted she was pulled aside by the drunken boasts of Torvar. Their exchange lasted two minutes at the most and it embarrassed the huntress she had feelings for somebody she barely knew. Shuddering a bit, Aela turned to face the hearth. The Companions bustled about like normal. It was a little reassuring to know that after Annika's transformation things should be returning to normal yet again. If Aela wanted, she actually never had to speak to the Dragonborn afterward. But that would be nearly impossible.

"Oi! Vvanderfell! Come join me for a pint of mead!" Athis' familiar Dunmer voice echoed through the shafts of the ceiling. Aela's attention was averted from her thoughts. Her eyes seemed to immediately locate the beautiful Nord, standing at the entrance of Jorrvaskr, barely having entered. The huntress had noticed that the Dragonborn got along beautifully with races that were discriminated against and Athis took a liking to her.

Aela watched, mouth still slightly open as Vvanderfell descended the few steps towards the hearth. Athis clapped her on the shoulder while Njada shoved a pint into her hand. Annika was a true Nord and she downed mead like it was water, chugging the mug and getting whoops and cheers of encouragement from her Shield-siblings. Aela started quaking in her boots when she saw the beautiful sapphire gaze again. Never had there been an individual who could do that to her. That was when Annika turned her gaze to her, staring. Aela stiffened, not moving an inch. Annika's smile abruptly faded and she set down the mug, walking straight towards her.

_Gods grant me power to speak to this woman without sounding like a buffoon... _Aela thought to herself, fists clenching visibly as Annika got even closer to her. She stopped, the distance between the two closer than she had been with Skjor. Their eyes were locked.

"Aela, right?" Annika asked, one of her fair hands resting on her enchanted dagger. It remained sheathed on her waist. The huntress got even more tense, her hands clenching together behind her back. Knuckles were white. Cheeks were slightly flushed behind warpaint.

"I-uh-um-" It was ridiculous that she was stuttering so much. Every time she stood in front of this divine of a woman her confidence seemed to fade entirely, as did her composure. It was so foreign and unwanted to her. Not once had she felt like that. At the thoughts she suddenly became able to form words properly, "-Yes, that's me. Did you want something?" Their eyes had been locked but as her willpower faded her gaze drifted. Even though the sapphire was absolutely enchanting she simply couldn't maintain their look.

"I just haven't spoken to you much as all. It seems a bit ridiculous to me, you're simply not very talkative when I see you here." Annika's voice made Aela melt, the sound nonchalantly sultry. Her spine was littered with chills, making her sigh in content.

"I have a lot of business to attend to on a regular basis, I'm sorry we haven't got a chance to converse," Aela forced a very small smile to her lips. It took effort. Her nerves bit at her like a rabid Sabre cat.

Annika smirked a bit as well, something that made Aela actually tremble where she stood. Her plush lips looked absolutely gorgeous when they grinned in that way. The huntress' eyes lingered on them and she tried desperately to pull her gaze away but found herself unable to. The Dragonborn didn't seem to notice, "Well you seem free enough now," She leaned against one of the wooden support beams, her smile not fading in the slightest, "Lets talk. What have you been up to lately?"

Aela knew that she had to try and be cool and collected. The huntress remained stiff as a board, unable to move from her spot to look more relaxed. Eventually Annika would notice that. Somehow managing not to stammer she spoke, "I'm mainly going wherever a Companion is needed. A few days ago I had to go all the way to Markarth just to hunt down a man's goat." Again making a smile come to her face at her attempted humor, when Annika emit an adorable chuckle she thought she might faint.

"Truly?" The Dragonborn asked, Aela nodding a bit. For some reason she felt herself blushing, becoming overwhelmed by this Nord's perfection. Her war paint and the poor lighting of the mead hall managed to hide it from view, or so she hoped., "Well that's quite the tale. I haven't been to the City of Stone in a good while. The last time I was there, I helped a vigilant investigate an abandoned house. Turns out it was occupied by the daedric Lord Molag Bal and I just barely escaped with my life..." She shrugged, "Maybe that's why I don't visit there as often."

Aela let out a laugh, one that sounded far more fake than she wished it to. Annika's brow furrowed and the huntress felt herself get even more tense when she thought that was impossible. The newest Companion pushed herself from the support beam and took a step closer, the space even smaller than before.

"Hey..." Annika muttered, one of her hands reaching forward and resting on Aela's bare arm. The huntress' blush deepened at the motion. Her hands were so _soft. _Their eyes were locked but the huntress found it hard to keep it that way, "...you seem nervous. Why are you nervous?"

Finding herself more than unable to speak, the veteran Companion's eyes drifted down to the Dragonborn's hand. When Annika noticed this she clenched her arm tighter, surprising Aela a bit. What was going on? Finding it too hard to move, too hard to speak, and far too hard to object to the lovely touch, a silence grew between them. The sapphire eyes of the Dragonborn remained on her face, the blush getting so intense that eventually Aela knew it would be spotted soon. Her fists clenched. And in mere seconds her entire world seemed to stumble over onto itself.

Before she could fully register what was going on, her back was against a Jorrvaskr wall. Wrists were pinned against the wood by soft, beautiful hands with a death grip. A divine face hovered inches from hers, sweet-smelling breath barely touching her lips. Aela thought she might have a heart attack when the gorgeous blue eyes met hers again, silver orbs going wide. The Companions around the hearth were far too preoccupied with their drunken rambling to notice the two. Even Skjor seemed to keep his gaze off her for the time being.

The huntress' breathing became hitched and uneven while Annika's remained steady. How in the world was she remaining so calm? Aela cursed herself for her uncomposed demeanor, but there was no way in Oblivion she would have been able to predict the situation she was in at that moment. The Dragonborn tilted her head in an alluring way, before speaking in a knowing tone, "You like me." Aela's heart skipped a beat, "Don't you?"

_Damn my blushing to Oblivion... _Aela thought to herself as confliction started to set in. Did she tell the truth? Or would bluffing be a better option? Skjor wouldn't like this, but then again maybe it would be the push he needed to understand whatever they had was done. The other Companions didn't think much of same-sex couples, it was just as normal as any other in this province. But the huntress had to remind herself that Annika was just asking. That didn't mean she felt the same way, maybe she was simply curious? Yet she had just pinned Aela against the wall with decent force. Why else would she do that? Never had she been that confused before. But before she could make a decision her yearning answered beforehand, head nodding ever so slightly.

Annika's expression didn't change in the slightest. It remained stony without showing much emotion other than interest, a sort of curiosity. Vvanderfell inched closer, their bodies nearly pressed flush against one another. Aela's eyes got even more wide and she held her breath, unable to breath anyway. The Dragonborn dipped her head, the two's lips the closest things now. Aela tensed even more. What was she going to do? Kiss her? Or draw away just as quickly as she had pinned the huntress to the wall? Maybe the entire thing had just been a drunken hallucination. Maybe the Dragonborn wasn't even really in the mead hall and Aela was just dreaming it, having dozed off in a chair with her head resting on the table? It was only when she felt something - a wet muscle grazing briefly across the huntress' lips, that she knew it _was _real.

Annika had just licked her lips. Not her own lips, _Aela's _lips. She didn't know how to react to it so she sort of didn't simply standing in the same spot as her ears listened intently to the next words said, "Sorry... but I don't get involved with people like that." With those few, confusing words, Annika pushed away from the wall with an adorable wink and walked away, joining the revelling of her Shield-siblings while Aela was left speechless.


	3. III

**Reviewssss :D So many! Kinda! After that second chapter my inbox was FLOODED with notifications about this. The amount of followers this has is like ridiculous to me even though it technically isn't a lot, haha :D. Yeah I'm easily hyped up. But really, thank you. Sorry if this one takes a while, I want to put a lot of stuff into it. Hope you enjoy!**

_Damn that Nord can run... _The huntress thought, cursing to herself a bit. Annika's transformation went well. She drank from the blood as if it were simple mead. When the metamorphosis ensued it looked as if she felt no pain, while Aela knew that wasn't true. In all of her years her first turning had been the most painful experience of her life, which she wasn't afraid to admit. Your bones felt like they were shattering, your teeth suddenly spurted out and became much sharper, and it felt as if every inch of your flesh was ripping open to let out fur. Agony like that is never forgotten but the rewards were worth it.

As soon as Annika had turned fully into a beast, the new wolf shot out of the Underforge and started pillaging about Whiterun. Aela managed to drive her out with the aid of Skjor, the darkness of the night and the overall panic making it a bit difficult. Once she was outside the gate the Dragonborn didn't hesitate in raking her claws through a guard as if he were butter. The newly changed beast even lunged at Skjor but he managed to block her blow with his shield. Aela was impressed and a bit astonished, still not having fully comprehended the fact she was the forebear to the legendary Dragonborn. That, and she still had the little incident in the mead hall earlier that evening to think about. When she had been pinned against the wall, and the brief chat the two exchanged. It was a heavy burden on her shoulders.

It had gotten pretty hopeless to try to follow Annika closely. Skjor didn't want to turn into a beast because several guards had come from the city to ask them what was going on. As always they claimed they had no idea and simply apprehended the monstrosity. Vvanderfell was a strong wolf and she was miles away before the two had even managed to leave the vicinity of the walls. The huntress asked if Skjor wanted to accompany her in the tailing, but he decided to instead take up the burden of cleaning up the mess left behind in the city. Maybe he didn't want to be alone with Annika. The way he hastily responded to Aela's question when she first asked it made her think that was the case, or at least slightly so.

Lighting a torch and hefting her shield onto her forearm as always, the huntress set off. Although she was tempted by many interesting crevices and caverns that no doubt held treasure along the way, finding Annika was her main priority. Newly turned werewolves usually got themselves into deep trouble after their first time. It was also usually up to their forebear to help them out of whatever their problems were. Aela had never heard of there being a Dragonborn werewolf, so Annika was probably going to get into some extra difficult position. But in this case Aela was far more determined to help her than she had been with any of her other Shield-Siblings when they turned. This time was different.

If it wasn't for her enhanced senses on account of her beast blood it would have been close to impossible to find Annika. Her path was criss crossing, going over rocks, underneath bridges, through streams even. The trail of corpses the wolf left behind were also a good lead. Goats with limbs torn off and thrown in every which direction crossed her path every once and awhile. Occasionally there was the corpse of an unfortunate traveler that just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. If she could managed to find out where their faces used to be, the huntress would close their eyes - a sign of respect and hopefully a good afterlife. Sometimes she found herself wondering how many innocents she slaughtered when she first turned. That had been quite the ordeal, Skjor told her. But for some reason, she felt as if she was given a realistic number guilt would set in. It wasn't like she had been able to control it, the feeling is extremely intense and overwhelming. Your claws rip apart whatever they can find, whether it is human or animal, friend or foe. Aela barely even remembered if she had been able to see what she had been doing. The main thing she recalled was waking up, nude, in an ancient Nordic ruin.

_What an odd thing to wake up to. _Aela thought to herself as she finally managed to heft herself up a large stone. She had been climbing the same, fairly steep mountain for a good while. The sun was still down but it should have been coming up soon. Somehow the huntress managed to maintain her grip on her torch, but on occasion it would falter and nearly fall from her palm. Scaling this enormous peak wasn't too easy either. It was treacherous and her tendons ached with weariness, yet she endured.

Suddenly Aela lost her footing, one of her boots slipping on a patch of particularly unstable ice. Staggering backwards, arms flailing in a windmill-like motion in an attempt to keep herself balanced, her hand barely caught on a not so stable branch. Glaring to herself, the huntress watched as her torch plummeted downward - hitting basically every hard surface on the way down until it was reduced to nothing but a pile of splinters. She cursed her luck but continued climbing, having known from experience that seething in anger would do no good and that you should push it aside if you were able to.

Numb fingers grasped at snow covered stones, and legs covered in goosebumps scraped against rough rock. Her chattering teeth would grit to the best of their ability when they hit a particularly sharp rock, and her calf would warm at the feeling of blood trickling from a fresh cut on her thigh. If she didn't die from falling off this mountain she was going to freeze to death at least. There was a light blizzard at that moment, if there was such a thing. Flakes of the cold precipitation fluttered delicately onto her pale skin, making her shake every now and then or hiss through her teeth. Although she knew it was evident she made progress, part of her felt as if the mountain just kept getting higher. Yet she was nearing a thick enough ledge she could fully stand on it, and after losing her torch the huntress felt she deserved a small break.

Hoisting herself onto the fresh-fallen snow with her absolutely numb arms, using whatever remnants of her strength she had left, Aela collapsed with a grunt. Breathing heavily against the ground her breath came out in white clouds, thick in the air around her. Her fingers started to sting from the snow yet she couldn't bring herself to her feet again, too exhausted to even move. In fact she may very well have laid in that spot forever, had she not heard something.

It was a scream. A strangled, piercing scream that she had come to recognize as that of a werewolf returning to human form. Usually that only occurred the first few times. One word came to her head at the sound. Annika.

She had returned to her normal form, that was good, now Aela could catch her. But who knows what _else _was lingering in these mountains? Bears? Wolves? Bandits, necromancers, wispmothers, spriggans, trolls? The huntress' mind started to conjure up all sorts of terrible and very possible scenarios, none of which the Dragonborn came out of unscathed. The thoughts made her shoot to her feet despite the aches and protests from her tense joints. Seeing that there wasn't too long of a climb until she reached the very top, the huntress basically jumped and caught the closest stone she could reach to it. Pulling herself the rest of the way, her legs feeling basically like dead weight, she finally managed to hoist herself up to it. Although the scream had ended a fair time before, there was still a way to tell where Annika was. Her smell still lingered on Aela's nose. It smelt of combat and fur, fire and blood. A similar scent indeed.

The huntress sprinted forward, following the smell of the Dragonborn and praying to every single one of the Divines that she would be alright. If something happened to her Aela wasn't sure what she could do. She was no healer, which was in her opinion the only school of magic that seemed to be of any use. Judging by the way Annika had made comments about milk-drinking mages, Aela doubted she had the ability to heal herself if any serious damage was done, and how in the world was the Huntress going to get her back to Whiterun? What if Annika was unable to walk? What was she going to do - toss the Dragonborn off the mountain and hope for the best? That probably wouldn't be a good idea. Aela shook her head back and forth at her ridiculous thoughts. Annika's scent was getting closer, stronger. That was reassuring at least. But now the smell was starting to be more like blood instead the other three usual components. It worried her. Why did Vvanderfell reek so much of blood? She ran faster.

The snow was becoming difficult to see through. Her skin stung, fingers and hands turning absolutely numb. Roughly through the blinding blizzard she managed to see the outline of a ruin of some kind. The scent was so strong Aela knew that the Dragonborn must have been there. Ignoring whatever pain she still felt, the huntress crouched down. Her eyes widened when she spotted a trail of blood, leading into the round stone structure. What had happened? Annika seemed invincible. Now something, or someone, had injured the strong woman. Aela nearly sprinted into the ruin but she knew that she had to be a bit sneaky, not knowing what threats lay within. Vaulting through a window, still in a crouch, Aela hovered on the stone listening intently. Everything seemed quiet - the only noise the raging blizzard behind her.

It was only after a good few minutes that she heard a sharp hiss of pain come from her left. The huntress' head immediately whipped in that direction to see a large pool of blood, and two rather dainty feet sticking out a bit from behind a wall. Aela lunged forward to see none other than Annika, nude other than her undergarments, her fists clenched with white knuckles. There was an enormous gash on her left side, oozing crimson. The Dragonborn looked to be in tremendous agony, her eyes tightly closed and her teeth gritting against one another. Never in her entire life had Aela felt that much concern. Annika's eyes slowly opened to look at her Shield-sister, her expression of suffering not changing in the slightest.

"A-Aela..." The huntress was very allured at the sound of the Dragonborn whispering her name in that way, but she knew all too well that wasn't the time for romance. Either way, she reached forward and took Annika's hand in hers - crimson brow furrowing. Already Vvanderfell gripped it with nearly unreal force, the huntress not showing any pain.

"What happened?" Aela asked her, keeping her voice quiet in case whatever had done the damage was still nearby. Her Shield-sister's eyes were glossy with tears of pain, something that was a bit more shocking than her having received the wound in the first place.

"D-damn... F-Forsworn..." It was difficult for her to speak between her grimaces and cringes. Aela had seen packs of the strange cult once or twice. They were always donned in deer skin or antlers, their weapons peculiar - fanged with thorns on the edges. Getting hit with one of those was bound to hurt like the lowest pain in Oblivion. Now that the huntress looked closer at the grotesque wound, she could see small remnants of thorn stuck in it.

"I-I um..." Panic started to shatter her stony demeanor to pieces. There was no way to get Annika out of there unharmed, especially not at that moment with the blizzard tearing the mountain apart. There were no healers anywhere nearby, at least not to her knowledge. Vvanderfell herself didn't seem like somebody who dabbled in restoration and Aela sure didn't. But she knew that she would figure something out. She had to. Whatever look of uncertainty she had on before faded at the thoughts, "I'm getting you out of here." Her voice was still kept low, for fear of Forsworn lurking.

"I swear she went this way!" A male, Nordic voice called out from somewhere in the blizzard. Aela's heartbeat nearly faltered at the sound, her arm instinctively reaching towards Annika and pressing gently on her collar bones to keep her hidden from anybody coming inside. The Dragonborn complied easily.

"No no that's animal blood! Smell it!" A female voice said. That one sounded more Breton than any other race. Aela tensed. They were following the trail of blood. It would lead right to them. If the legendary Dragonborn hadn't been able to hold them off, for some reason the huntress doubted her own ability to do so. Her silver eyes drifted to the blood, then to a pile of rubble not far away. The idea was crazy and just might get them caught, but she couldn't think of another option. Lunging forward, her hand leaving Annika's grasp, she gathered some of the debris in her arms, trying to remain as silent as possible, before placing it over the blood trail and trying to even it out - blending it in with the rest of the rocks that lay strewn around. If you were in a hurry and weren't looking too hard, you wouldn't have noticed. The crimson-haired Companion retreated back to her wounded Shield-sister, hoping for the best.

"What if she's a werewolf? We've seen it before and I would rather not have her get away. We need someone to bring back, and goat corpses aren't the same as Nord." The male voice spoke again. It sounded like it had gotten closer. Aela scooted closer to Annika, feeling very protective as she heard the small grunts and gasps of pain coming from the beautiful woman over her shoulder. A hand grasped her own, making the huntress jump a bit - startled. It was Annika's.

"Lets just go. I'm sure they'll understand, they've come back empty handed plenty of times." The female voice spoke again. Although it sounded as if they planned on leaving, Aela didn't let herself relax just yet. Giving the Dragonborn's hand a reassuring squeeze she continued to listen intently.

"Alright... let me just..." The male's voice sounded dangerously clear and nearby. Aela held her breath although it was uncalled for, finding herself backing closer to Annika without fully noticing it. The Dragonborn yelped suddenly, the huntress' hand clamping over Vvanderfell's mouth on instinct but it was too late. The sound was out and had been heard. Footsteps, although light, were coming in their direction. Aela reached down and grabbed frail ankles, pulling them up and out of view of the entrance. Her palm remained gingerly pressed to Annika's lips. Neither of them dared to move.

There was a silence. It was so heavy with fear and tension you could cut through it with a dagger. The footsteps didn't sound again, or if they did, Aela hadn't heard them over the sound of her heartbeat in her ears. Finally, after what felt like an eternity of just sitting there - the female's voice cut in.

"They aren't in here. Look, the blood trail has stopped too. I'm going back. Come on." The voice got more and more distant as it spoke. In a few seconds, rather heavy footsteps were heard exiting the ruin and trotting out into the snow. Aela let out a breath she felt as if she had been holding in for days.

Annika grumbled something, making the huntress abruptly remove her palm from the beautiful face. The Dragonborn then started to struggle, clearly trying to move forward but being unable to because of her injury. Instead all that came from her mouth was a guttural growl as she muttered through clenched teeth, "I can take a few milk-drinking F-Forsworn... let me out there!"

Aela grabbed her gently by the arm, her Shield-sister far too weak to escape the grasp. Their eyes locked for a few moments before Annika moved back to her previous spot with an agitated sigh. It was then that the huntress really realized how close the two were to one another. And she also fully registered that this gorgeous woman was practically nude. Her cheeks suddenly lit with a blush, internally cursing at herself for the inability to keep the color from them. Her war paint had been noticeably faded from the snow and it wasn't shielding as much. Annika's eyes lingered on her face, the distance between the two barely larger than it had been when she pinned her to the wall previously.

Again Aela found herself absolutely astonished by Annika's beauty. It seemed positively unreal. If she was permitted the huntress thought she may have been able to gaze upon the Nord forever, never looking away or getting uninterested by the perfection before her. Yet she didn't say a word to make all of the compliments verbal. Annika didn't feel that way about her.

"_Sorry... but I don't get involved with people like that." _Those words hadn't left Aela's head in the slightest. A fool's hope also hadn't left her - that maybe the Dragonborn did have feelings of romance but simply didn't believe in commitment. She probably had plenty of things to do on a daily basis, being the hero of a prophecy after all. Aela just wished that wasn't the case. The huntress knew she would do absolutely anything to be with this woman, and she would do everything in her power to keep Annika safe when need be. Having drifted into a sort of trance at the deep thoughts, she was only snapped out of it when a silky forehead rested against her own. Her breath hitched again, an unwelcome reaction but a familiar one.

"Annika... I..." Aela's attempt to speak seemed pathetic even to her, and it was lost to the heavy breaths being exchanged between the two. The Dragonborn smelt of raw meat. From her hunt, no doubt. It was especially enticing. Their eyes remained connected, sapphire clashing against silver. Annika brought their mouths closer together, hovering at such a distance Aela could even feel the plush lips nearly touching hers but never once did.

Finally, the Dragonborn pulled away, their foreheads breaking apart. Aela was left breathless and yearning for more than she had received. Her wide eyes showed her lack of satisfaction, but Annika simply mumbled, "It would be great you could find me some clothes..."


	4. IV

**Jesus! Everyone is loving this story! Thanks so much for all the positive feedback. I'll try to post a new chapter every few days but I have a full plate sometimes. Don't get discouraged if I don't update though, that usually means the chapter is going to be especially good!**

It felt like hours before the blizzard let up enough for the two Companions to leave the ruin. Aela had managed to find Annika a pair of mage robes, ones that she donned grudgingly. The Dragonborn made a remark about how she felt ridiculous as a jester, and that she prayed to Talos she didn't run into any respectful Nords. Aela promised she wouldn't tell anyone she had seen Annika wearing that.

The wound was more painful than Aela had first thought. Although it was on the Dragonborn's side, it prevented her from walking too well. Even though the huntress offered to support her - Annika was very proud and insisted on walking without aid. Even though every now and then she would cringe or curse through her teeth from pain, if Aela ever moved to her in concern the Dragonborn would shoo her away. The two Shield-sisters trudged through the fresh fallen snow, both of them shivering violently. Neither of them spoke much for fear of Forsworn overhearing them. Aela stuck as close as she could to the newest member of the circle, their shoulders grazing if Annika ever stumbled.

"Aela..." Annika suddenly whispered, neither of them slowing their pace. The huntress was trying to head back the way she had come, but it was difficult to determine which direction that was. The sun was high in the sky at that time, making the landscape nearly blinding.

The crimson-haired woman turned her head in the beautiful Nord's direction with a cocked eyebrow, she herself not speaking, "...do you have any idea where we are?" The Dragonborn moved a bit closer to her, making Aela for some reason blush a bit.

The huntress shrugged slightly, looking at her Shield-sister from the corner of her eye, "Vaguely..." She noticed the shift in the air when her uncertainty was expressed aloud. Not wanting to worry the beautiful Nord at her side, she added, "...but I'm sure that if we're gone for too long Skjor will start looking. He is probably worried enough right now." It was difficult to sound nonchalant and calm, which was the opposite of how she was feeling. For some reason she was positive that they weren't going the right way.

"Skjor..." Annika spoke the name as if it were foreign and she hadn't ever said it before. It made Aela wonder if the two were really so unacquainted she didn't even recognize his name, "...is he the one with the scar?" At the word scar she trailed her finger over her eye and down her cheek. Aela nodded.

"He was my forebear. And he is _very _protective of me..." The huntress trailed off, thoughts of their previous relationship coming to her mind once again. That had been a mistake. Briefly she shook her head back and forth in a futile attempt to keep the thoughts out. Her crimson brow furrowing, Aela hefted the weight of her shield about a bit on her forearm, hand that held her sword twirling the hilt a bit. The main thing that was stuck in her mind was the decisive fight the two had. That one thing was what really ended it. Even then, a good year or so after it had occurred, just thinking about it enraged her.

"I see..." Annika mumbled back. A silence grew between the two, and just when the huntress assumed all conversation was over something else sealed it. The Dragonborn suddenly doubled over with a pained hiss, clutching at her wounded side only for her hands to recoil. Not caring about her Shield-sister's pride, Aela reached towards the woman and forcefully slung her arm over her own shoulders. At first the stubborn circle member struggled a bit in protest. But eventually the pain she must have been enduring got so bad she gave into the assistance.

"We've got to get you help sooner rather than later," Aela muttered, one of her hands finding the one that hung over her shoulder. She felt Annika tense up. Deciding to ask something she assumed she already knew the answer to, her voice was still quiet, "You aren't a healer are you?"

"N-no..." The Dragonborn grumbled in agony under her breath. The huntress instinctively clenched her hand tighter. It was only then that Annika wriggled her fingers from Aela's grasp - saying nothing about the movement aloud while Aela's cheeks lit with an extremely red blush. Had she gone too far?

"I... I uh..." For some reason she had a nearly irresistible feeling to move away and let Annika walk on her own, yet she knew that wasn't an option. The blush remained even as the next words left her pursed lips, "...I'm sorry." The two continued their walk, a slight silence forming again. The mountain they proceeded on was uneven and rather steep at parts. If the Dragonborn ever stumbled Aela found herself glaring intensely at the ground, or whatever rock had tripped them.

After a few minutes Annika finally responded to her Shield-sister's apology, "...no... it's fine." The two staggered a bit when Aela's foot accidentally slammed into the side of a root of some sort. The newest Circle member yelped in pain, her teeth biting down on her bottom lip with tremendous force. While the huntress started spouting condolences of all kinds, the Dragonborn simply dismissed her embarrassment away with a wave of her hand, "...so... Skjor..." Aela's full attention went to what was said next, memories of her fight with Skjor making her angry all over again though she tried to suppress it, "...you two are close?"

That fight definitely changed their relationship, but the huntress wasn't sure if it was either for the better or for the worse. Her eyes closed briefly. Images of that new whelp - Xakos - seemed to be imprinted on her eyelids. It hadn't been her fault. Deep down she still knew that and her opinions from that fight remained the same. Yet she also remembered what Skjor's reasoning had been. Now that it had passed and the initial feeling of betrayal had faded, she actually brought his thoughts into consideration. They still seemed ridiculous and far-fetched. Aela knew that she did what any one else would have. Besides, Xakos was just a whelp. Nothing more. Her eyes shut tighter, managing to get the image to disappear.

"Yes," Aela muttered the word. Eyes opening again and drifting to her Nordic boots, she prayed that the topic changed soon. Skjor wasn't something she spoke of with others often. Especially not with people as breathtaking as Annika Vvanderfell. Letting out a quiet sigh, the previous thoughts of Xakos draining her emotionally, "You could say that."

Annika nodded. When she spoke her tone was so knowing - in a way that made Aela nervous. What was running through that Nord's head? "Oh, I see," The Dragonborn paused for a few moments. The huntress wasn't sure why, and she was too astonished by the next words said that she didn't pay the hesitation much attention, "So you bed him, then?"

Aela was so surprised she almost stopped walking altogether. Instead she simply turned her head to look at Annika quizzically. The Circle member seemed genuinely confused at her Shield-sister's expression. The huntress' blush didn't leave her at all, if anything getting more intense. Her war paint wasn't doing much to conceal it anymore.

"What makes you think that?!" She frantically asked, her voice sounding a bit more defensive than she had wanted it to.

Annika shrugged to the best of her ability, "I saw the way he seemed so defensive of you when we first met," Hissing a bit through her teeth once more, Aela's concern returned all over again, "I'm not blind." The huntress' chest started to feel as if pressure was being put on it from an unknown force. The air was tense. Or at least it was for Aela.

"We aren't..." She sighed a bit, the memories from previous relationships becoming more prominent in her mind now that she was speaking of it aloud, "...together like that."Annika's expression seemed unconvinced, so she added, "Really. We uh... were. Once. But that's never going to happen again."

"Why is that?" The Dragonborn asked, sounding genuinely curious.

"We are better fit as friends, as all," Her silver eyes avoided the blue ones at all costs for some reason, unable to make their gaze lock. The huntress didn't like talking about romance openly like this, or about her previous relationships. Plus Skjor had always been a touchy topic and an irritable person. If he knew that his Shield-sisters were discussing him behind his back he would be far from happy, but that thought wasn't preventing Aela from doing so, "It was mainly a fight that ended... uh... whatever it was we had."

Annika seemed to be shifting her weight from one foot to another every now and then, possibly trying to find out which was the least painful. Although the huntress knew that her Shield-sister was going to ask her to elaborate, she prayed that wasn't the case. If she didn't even feel comfortable talking about Skjor, there was no way she could feel ease when talking about Xakos. Sure enough, after the Dragonborn let out another small grunt of pain she started to question again, "A fight about what?"

Aela sighed lightly, her head hanging a bit low. _It wasn't my fault... _She told herself in her head, over and over again. If that was the case why did she feel as if she had to convince herself? Skjor had overreacted. Maybe because he thought it had been his fault? _No... no he believed it was mine, surely. _Aela thought. What was the shame in telling Annika? She might as well. If the huntress ever planned on getting close to this woman keeping secrets wasn't the way to do it.

"It was new blood, a whelp..." Aela found herself starting to tell the tale without fully realizing it. Letting the truth out might make her feel a bit better. And who knows? Maybe the Dragonborn would side with her. Maybe it really hadn't been her fault. The huntress slowly continued, "...Nord lad named Xakos. He was just a boy when he marched up the steps to Jorrvaskr. It was a long time ago. We were accepting in whatever we could get. Skjor and I both accompanied the boy during his proving... in a Dwemer ruin. We were looking for a fragment of Wuuthrad."

"Xakos was eager to please us. Too eager. He wasn't being cautious. He let his guard down." Aela's voice became softer, both in tone and volume, "When we got deep enough into the ruin we found some Falmer. Skjor went one way to take out a few that kept watch on a ledge... and I went with the boy down some steps..." Sometimes the huntress would have nightmares about those very stairs. About tripping down them. About how the scenario could have gone differently. About how she could have stopped what had happened if she had been thinking a bit more clearly. _Not my fault..._ Aela told herself again, continuing the story after a few moments of silence, "...he triggered a tripwire. Oaf. Before I even knew what was going on, a spinning blade came from the ground... and erm..." She stopped there. It took a good few minutes before she spoke again, Annika never once saying a word, "...Skjor blamed it on me. Said I should have been going first. Or that I could have warned the lad before his foot caught on it. It ended shortly after that. I couldn't bring myself to romance after the things he had said."

Annika was quiet for a while. Until suddenly she cried out, hand clutching her side, expression contorted into that of absolute agony. Aela somehow managed to remain calm, and simply wrapped the Dragonborn carefully into her arms just as her knees gave out, a light blush appearing on her face. Annika hissed and grumbled in pain, clutching her Shield-sister with everything she had.

"We're taking a break," The huntress murmured, trying desperately to console the beautiful Nord in front of her. Eyes scanning the area around them in seconds, she quickly spotted a decent enough shelter, "There's a cave over there. Skjor will come looking for us soon, I'm sure." She started in the direction of the cave, practically dragging Annika along with her.

"N-no... let me go I-I can w-walk fine..." The proud Companion insisted. She tried to stand, still in Aela's arms, but failed miserably and instead cried out once more. Not wanting her injured Shield-sister to draw too much attention, the huntress hauled her in faster. When they finally managed to get inside of the cave, Aela set her Shield-sister down against the wall as gently as possible, before sitting at her side with a tired grunt.

While they sat in a silence filled only with Annika's labored breathing, Aela started to wonder if Skjor really was going to come for them.

If not, what was their fate going to be?


	5. V

**Thanks again for the crazy amount of views this has! Reviews are the most fantastic things in the world to me, so please please PLEASE leave them if you can! And sorry this chapter is so short, I didn't have a lot of time to write today but I didn't want to leave you guys hanging. Don't worry I won't usually be inactive for long, if ever.**

Annika had lost consciousness shortly after the two arrived in the cave. Although it nearly gave Aela a heart attack, she was relieved to see that her Shield-sister was still breathing. Like the huntress has predicted, Skjor arrived soon enough - looking very confused and worried. After a brief explanation, he hauled the Dragonborn onto his back. Aela guarding the two, weapon drawn, and they proceeded down the mountain back the way Skjor had come. It took an entire day just to make it back to Whiterun, and by that time the huntress thought she might literally die of concern. They frantically brought Annika to the temple where she was healed. Aela refused to leave the Dragonborn's side until she finally dozed off in an uncomfortable wooden chair, not having slept for over twenty-four hours.

"_I've never seen anything even remotely similar to this," Xakos said, jogging steadily forward, his gaze drifting all around the large Dwemer hall they were in instead of where he was going. Aela wrinkled her nose at this boy's inexperience, "It's huge! How long does this go on for, do you think?" The huntress wasn't sure who the question was directed towards but she didn't plan on answering it. _

"_There's no way to tell," Skjor took the burden of holding conversation upon himself, though he didn't sound too happy with it. Aela glanced at him from her peripheral vision. His guard remained up, he was ready to destroy anything that even looked at him strangely. A smirk found its way to her lips. _

"_And those machines! It's amazing to think that they still function properly after all this time of just waiting here, inactive." Xakos added on, his voice not at all quiet. Aela was tempted to gag the boy, but she knew his immaturity would fade after a few more near-death experiences. Those could harden anybody. "Don't you agree, Aela?" _

_The huntress knew that if this whelp kept blabbing on like that he was going to draw every Dwemer in the place straight to them. Although she didn't mind a big fight, there was no telling how many machines could lay around the next corner and she wasn't suicidal. Glaring openly at Xakos, his carefree expression faltered a bit and it faded completely at her next words, "Be quiet, whelp. We're going to have every contraption in this entire ruin on our backs at the rate you're drawing them in."_

_Xakos' pale face lit up with a blush. He held his weapon tighter but he still didn't look nearly as immersed as he should have been. Skjor took the lead of their trio, giving his Shield-sister a small smirk before doing so. The huntress didn't have time to return it before he turned a corner and left her sight. What was around the next bend was something she had only seen a few other times - but that didn't make it any more unnerving. _

_Falmer. They were everywhere - on the rooftops of underground Dwemer buildings, walking on ledges, tending to Skeevers that they were keeping in fenced in pens, or simply hovering ominously on a ledge - which seemed pointless to her since the abominations were blind. Down a couple of steps was a large courtyard, in the center a deactivated Dwarven Centurion. Aela didn't plan on waking that monster up anytime soon. _

"_I'll get those ones on the ledge," Skjor whispered , having stopped at the top of the steps. Although his two Shield-siblings knew what Falmer he was indicating he pointed to them nonetheless, "I know that they cannot see us but it's making me uneasy." He turned to Aela, an expression of love on his face only she could detect through his stony demeanor. The two exchanged a nod before he carried out his plans. _

"_Whelp," Aela whispered so quietly she even strained to hear it, Xakos tilting his head in her direction for further instruction, "Down the steps." There were three or four stout Dwemer stairs directly in front of them. He was closer than she was, and he descended them first. At least he looked more focussed than earlier. He had a good enough build and apparently enough combat experience, having received a glowing letter of recommendation from his father who happened to be a Stormcloak officer. And the boy had his own weapons. It was always refreshing to not have to arm somebody._

_Xakos slowly proceeded down the steps as she had told him to. He made his footsteps quiet but the huntress couldn't tell if it was on his own accord or if he was following their example. Deciding not to ask, then not being a good time to, she followed him closely. Aela kept her eyes trained on Skjor, watching as he skillfully crept up behind the two Falmer without making a sound. His stealth matched that of a member of the Thieves Guild and she had never seen him that way before. Her interest was drawn to him for a few moments. Her mind had been wandering at the worst possible time. _

_A deep throated scream suddenly bellowed straight in front of her face. An explosion of blood suddenly splattered all over her torso and into her eyes, blinding the huntress and greatly confusing her. Now being as sightless as the Falmer themselves, when she heard Skjor shouting at the top of his lungs at the whelp she didn't understand it. Where had all of that blood come from? Who screamed? As her head mildly started to clear, her ability to see was regained. But when she cracked her eyelids apart the sight was far from expected. A Dwemer blade trap. A spinning golden fan. It dripped with the blood of a Nord. _

_The blood of Xakos._

Aela shot up in her bed, screaming at the top of her lungs just like she had when she first saw that crimson splattered Dwarven deathtrap. It took her a good few seconds to register that it had just been a horrifically realistic nightmare, and even longer to register that she was back in her quarters in Jorrvaskr. How she ended up there she hadn't the faintest idea. But head was throbbing and she was panting rapidly from the terror of the dream. Nobody had heard her cry out, to her relief, so she simply laid back down as she tried to steady herself to no avail. Not once did she drift back to sleep. How could she after that ordeal?

* * *

The usually welcoming bustle around th hearth wasn't as calming as she usually found it. Aela sat with a stoic expression, full jug of mead held in her hand while it rested on the table. Her expression was contorted into something that wasn't a frown nor a smile. Eyes lingered on the crackling flames, her mind clouded with thoughts of Xakos, Annika, and even Skjor every now and then. Nobody seemed to be paying her any attention at all.

It had been a few weeks since the Dragonborn had walked out of the Temple of Kynareth, fully healed and ready for combat. Vilkas and Farkas often sent her out on petty errands, so Aela rarely spoke with her. Annika acted as if the time they spent on that mountain had never happened. That hurt more than any sort of rejection ever could have. The two basically hadn't exchanged a single word since then. Annika had merely thanked her for the assistance back on the summit, then forgot entirely about it. Thinking about that gorgeous Nord left a bitter taste in her mouth at what she could never have.

The Silver Hand were becoming quite a problem. In her abundant spare time the huntress worked on tracking them down, figuring out their plans, finding their bases and sending out her Shield-siblings to eradicate them at every available turn. She didn't much leave the mead hall herself, wanting to see Annika if she had the chance. If her Shield-sister ever did lock eyes with the huntress, the two didn't speak. Aela was too nervous to start conversation herself. There must have been some obvious reason why the Dragonborn wasn't speaking with her that the huntress just wasn't seeing, and the longer it took her to figure it out the more stupid she felt for not doing so.

Aela tried to divert her thoughts to her work but found it difficult. Anybody else in the Companions would have been quaking in their boots from stress but she was focussed majorly on other things. The Silver Hand had a large base called Gallows Rock, and it was absolutely teeming with the werewolf hunters. If she wanted to do any real damage she would send somebody over there. Every now and then her thoughts about the Dragonborn drifted, and she started really thinking about what Shield-sibling she was going to send. Usually it was Njada or Athis that went - separately of course. Torvar was strong and she knew that, but when she looked over her own pint of mead at his drunken stupor she thought otherwise of sending him to something so dangerous. Ria had stopped being referred to as a whelp mere months before. Farkas and Vilkas had their own things to deal with, other than the Silver Hand threat, so the only other option was Annika herself.

_Dare I even ask her? _Aela thought to herself, suddenly clutching at her mug with white knuckles. She bit her lower lip a tad. If she ever planned on speaking to the Dragonborn again, using work as an excuse would be a good way to do it. But when was she going to come back? If worst came to worst she could just ask Skjor. He would do anything she requested.

"Vvanderfell!" A dark elf voice called out from across the table. As per usual Aela felt her heart skip a few beats at the sound of the name, her silver eyes immediately turning towards the door to see none other than the beautiful Nord standing there. She wore enchanted scaled horn armor, an impressive elven bow on her back which too looked custom made. Annika tucked some of her reddish-brown braids behind her ear in an adorable way, Aela already finding her face becoming flushed. The Dragonborn immediately approached Athis and the two shook arms. She sat next to him at the banquet table, downing a few pints of mead in what seemed like no time. Aela felt herself unable to tear her silver gaze away from the Nord, but when sapphire met her eyes she immediately turned away.

_There's no way in Oblivion I'll be able to muster the courage to legitimately speak with her. _Aela told herself, head hanging a bit low. She still felt Annika's eyes on her and they seemed to be boring holes into her skin. Somehow she managed to keep her face from turning a deep red color, which her cheeks so wanted to. Bringing her gaze back to her pint of mead she took a swig with very little enthusiasm.

The sound of one of the chairs screeching from the table made Aela's ears perk up a bit but she kept her gaze averted. The flames for some reason seemed especially interesting to her all of the sudden. The sound of her Shield-siblings revelling and boasting and drinking didn't leave her ears in the slightest yet she held her breath a bit - feeling as if she knew who had gotten up from their seat.

A soft hand was suddenly placed onto her shoulder. The huntress felt herself tense up entirely, keeping her facial expression stoic and unmoved. She felt lips pressed flush against her ear and her eyes couldn't help but widen for a moment, wondering if any of her Shield-siblings were noticing the two. Chills moved up and down her spine like lightning. She knew who hovered over her shoulder and the realization made her even more uneasy.

"You want to talk to me about something," Annika whispered, her voice sultry and warm against her earlobe. Aela shuddered ever so slightly, "What is it?"

_It's so many different things... _The huntress thought the words but didn't speak them, knowing that wouldn't be the best option. She wanted to confess what she really felt even though not even she was sure of it. She wanted to ask why Annika hadn't exchanged a word with her for what felt like years. She wanted to know if their time on that mountain changed anything for the Dragonborn or if she didn't think about it again once. But she brought her thoughts back to her work with a quiet, shaky breath before murmuring, "The Silver Hand."

The Dragonborn hummed a bit, sending vibrations through the huntress' ear, "Is that so?" Aela nodded immediately after the question, her eyes drifting around the table to see nobody even slightly looking in their direction, to her relief. Annika didn't seem to care and probably wouldn't have minded if everybody saw, "What about them?" When the huntress felt her Shield-sister tracing circles on the back of her neck with a silky thumb, she thought she might faint.

_This is the time you start stuttering like an idiot, _Aela predicted ahead of time. But maybe Annika could predict that as well. She didn't want to be predictable. The huntress wanted to be just as spontaneous as the Dragonborn. At these thoughts her tone remained even and normal-sounding, "I've located one of their bases at a place called Gallows Rock. I was wondering if you would like to accompany me there, maybe with Skjor."

Surprisingly enough, Aela felt her Shield-sister's lips move from her ear when she heard the steadiness of her tone. Maybe the huntress had caught her off guard by remaining her composure. She didn't move to look over her shoulder at Vvanderfell and remained still, awaiting a response and praying that it was a good one.

"Alright," Annika said, voice louder than before but still sounding just as alluring to the huntress, "When are we setting off?"


	6. VI

**This one is going to be a bit longer, so sorry if it takes a couple of days. And we just hit 1,000 views! You guys have no idea how awesome that is. I love you people :3**

Aela didn't like the Rift. It was absolutely crawling with thieves and other sorts of marauders. The three Companions probably would have been attacked every few feet if they hadn't looked so intimidating. Especially Annika. The Dragonborn took the lead, the huntress and Skjor hanging back and walking almost side-by-side. Her Shield-brother was repeatedly looking at her from the corner of his eye. Maybe he was thinking about Xakos too. Maybe he had realized it wasn't her fault.

Skjor took a few steps backwards, officially reaching Aela's side. The huntress ducked her head low. What was he planning on saying to her? She knew him well enough to detect that glint in his good eye. For some reason it was difficult to keep herself from glowering. Part of Aela knew what he was going to start and she wished that she was wrong. Now was not the time.

"You've been thinking about Xakos," Skjor spoke, his tone very quiet so that their Shield-sister wouldn't overhear them. Aela turned her head a bit to better face him, sneering slightly. His expression didn't at all change as he explained himself, "I could hear you talking in your sleep from across the hall."

Feeling her face light up with an angry blush, she returned her gaze ahead of her while she glared at the road they walked on, "I don't want to talk about this again." The huntress stated bluntly. The nightmares continued to plague her. Yet she was unsure as to why she was having them all of the sudden.

"Well maybe we should. Once you get your facts straight the dreams should stop." Skjor mumbled under his breath huskily. Aela gave him the dirtiest look she could muster. He was going to try and convince her of his opinion again. She wanted to cut his plans short if she had the chance.

"It wasn't my fault." The huntress murmured, glare intensifying. Annika had walked a bit faster and managed to get even farther from her two Shield-siblings. The realization relieved Aela. She didn't want the Dragonborn to hear her like this - to hear her sound so wounded and weak. She also sounded uncertain. Why did she sound uncertain?

"I don't think even you believe that," Skjor muttered, glaring at her to show disappointment. It didn't affect her at all. Instead it made the huntress feel more betrayed than before, appalled at how he was treating her. Was he really that oblivious? Clearly she felt guilty - whether it had been her fault or not. Now he was just adding onto her list of things to deal with by shoving all of these thoughts about Xakos down her throat, "Do you?"

Aela stood firm, "It _wasn't _my fault." Her words were spoken through clenched teeth, almost sounding like a hiss. It was louder than the other things they had said and she wouldn't have been surprised if Annika had heard it. For some reason that thought didn't worry her. If the Dragonborn found out about what they argued about she didn't see the harm.

"Don't make me say this, Aela..." Skjor said, his tone kept low, his words sounding like a threat. The huntress knew what he planned on saying. She simply glared at him from the corner of her eye, the two's pace slowing a bit in unison to get further from their Shield-sister. After an ever-growing, tense silence he finally growled a bit in the back of his throat before speaking at such a volume she strained to hear it, "It _was _your fault..."

Aela resisted the urge to simply turn and throttle the man where he stood, and instead suppressed a growl. Anger made her entire body start to shudder, wondering if Skjor was really going to turn this into a full fledge argument, "It _wasn't." _

"You should have been watching him." Skjor sounded set in stone. Aela didn't care how positive he was, she knew deep down that what had happened couldn't have been stopped, at least not by her. Her nose wrinkled.

"He tripped the wire, not me. Whelp should have been watching out for himself," Aela spat out the word whelp, making sure that Skjor knew her opinion on Xakos. Foolish new blood and nothing more than that. Her glare softened a bit for an unknown reason but she returned it to its previous intensity at the realization.

"You're right about one thing," Skjor paused for a few moments, leaving the huntress in great suspense only for her to be disappointed at is next words, "He was a whelp. Which means you _should _have been _watching _him." He sounded so upset. Clearly he didn't enjoy speaking about Xakos either, so then why was he?

"I wouldn't have been able to see that wire anyway," Aela muttered, her voice barely understandable since it was basically a growl, "It was pitch black in that ruin most of the time."

Skjor scoffed as if she had just told the most amusing joke in Tamriel, "Even so you shouldn't have let a whelp go first into an unknown area." He paused for a few moments for a very unneeded emphasis, "It _was _your fault and you know it. Why else would you be having nightmares about it?"

Aela bit her tongue to contain her rage, not wanting to lash out at him and cause a scene in front of Annika if she could help it. She couldn't believe how Skjor was acting. Even in their original fight he hadn't been that rude or direct. For some reason she liked it better when he kept skirting around what he actually wanted to say. It didn't hurt as much.

"It was a traumatic experience, Skjor. I had to wash a boy's blood off of my face and out of my eyes. That's not something you forget overnight." Although what she had said was true it felt foreign leaving her mouth, "It wasn't my fault." Their voices remained quiet although if they spoke at a normal volume Annika would have been out of earshot.

Skjor sighed heavily as if the conversation put weight onto his shoulders, "It was your fault, Aela."

"No it _wasn't." _ She paused for a few moments, teeth gritting slightly, "You aren't going to change my opinion, Skjor. My mind is made up. I didn't even want to talk about this..." Having planned on ending the conversation there, she started to walk faster in order to get away from him but he grabbed her arm, making the huntress whip her head in his direction with a deadly cold glare.

"I'm trying to make you see the error of your ways. So that this won't happen again. With her." Skjor gestured ahead of them towards their beautiful Shield-sister. Annika looked as if she didn't have a single care in the world, walking with a slight skip in her step as she held her bow in hand like it weighed nothing. Aela felt her heart swell again - like it always did at the mentioning of the Dragonborn. It was then that she realized why all of this suddenly made sense.

The nightmares. Skjor acting strange about the topic of Xakos. Aela having that clumsy whelp on her mind all day and night. It was because she didn't want the same thing to happen with Annika, or that she was worried it might. Her shoulders tensed and the huntress shook her arm from Skjor's grasp. Her eyes remained on the back of Vvanderfell's head, trying to imagine what she would do if Annika died and it had been her fault. There was no way she could forgive herself. Aela swallowed hard. Then instead of doing what Skjor said, she simply got even angrier than before.

"This time is _different._" Aela spat out at a louder volume than the rest of their conversation, "I didn't _care _about that whelp," She openly bared her teeth at somebody she used to consider her best friend, her lover, for Talos' sake, "Plus Annika can take care of herself. That boy didn't know what he was doing." Proceeding forward - basically stomping along the huntress wasn't too surprised when she felt a hand forcefully grab her arm and yank her back into the conversation.

"What happened to Xakos _was _your fault. Entirely. And you should feel guilt for it." Skjor spoke at a normal volume as well. The two had stopped walking. Aela sneered up at his face in disgust as she tried to shake from his grasp but he had a death grip, "You need to believe it was because of you." Aela scoffed at him, tugging with all of her might against his grasp but finding herself unable to escape. Until finally he said something that sent her over the edge, "_She's going to die unless you understand." _

Gasping in surprise at how terrible his words were, newfound strength surged through the huntress and she pried his hand off. Once her arm was free her body was controlling her actions instead of her mind - and her hand shot up to Skjor's face, slapping him hard across his scarred cheek. After the violence she took a few steps back, still glaring. Skjor moved a hand to his slightly discolored cheek, briefly touching at it with a blank expression. Before finally he muttered something.

"I'm going forward alone. We can talk about this more there if need be." Before Aela could say anything to stop him, or before she could figure out if she _wanted _to stop him, Skjor had turned into a beast and ran ahead at such a pace she couldn't match it in human form. The huntress watched him go and made no effort to chase him.

"Where is Skjor going?" A familiar, alluring voice asked. Aela had been put into a sort of trance once her Shield-brother ran off, their argument still lingering over her mind. Annika's words returned her to reality, "Should we follow him?"

Shaking her head back and forth both to answer the Dragonborn's question and to clear her thoughts a bit, Aela caught up to her Shield-sister and walked at her side, "No. We'll get there eventually." Now that the memories of Xakos were gradual fading since she was with Annika, instead her mind drifted to the time they spent on the mountain. Through that experience the two had held hands, nearly kissed, and technically embraced. Yet Annika didn't speak a word of it. Now that the pain, worry, fear of rejection and embarrassment were returning in one big flood Aela would have preferred getting into a fist-fight with Skjor any day. Her cheeks reddened a bit as she spoke up again hesitantly, "Um... do you remember what happened after your transformation?"

The Dragonborn paused for a few moments, her pace slowing every so slightly, "I remember going unconscious in a cave and being forced to wear milk-drinking mage robes." Annika shrugged, "I don't think about it much."

Aela felt her heart shatter just a bit. Was that really all she her Shield-sister could recall? The huntress' face started to burn yet again. Was slapping Skjor really worth it if Annika really didn't want anything to do with her? Silver eyes drifted down to the road. It was odd how strange she was being when she was with the Dragonborn. Usually she was more straightforward. At the thought the blunt part of her blurted something out she normally wouldn't have said, "Well you didn't speak a word to me for a month afterward. Why is that?" Once the words left her mouth she regretted them. It was too late to take it back.

Annika was quiet for a while. The huntress didn't dare even remotely glance in her direction for fear of seeing an unwanted expression on the Dragonborn's face. For some reason Aela had a daunting fear that her words were going to do much more harm than good - which they often did. Her fists clenched tightly at her sides, their footsteps seeming to echo in her ears. As the silence grew the huntress started to wonder about Skjor, oddly enough. When he was in beast form he was practically invincible so she wasn't worried about that. Then again, apparently a particularly nasty Silver Hand leader, nicknamed Krev the Skinner for obvious reasons, was going to be at Gallows Rock. For some reason that thought didn't waver her confidence in her Shield-brother. The thoughts of him immediately flew from her mind when Annika spoke, however, although her words weren't exactly what she had expected.

"Well you haven't been too talkative either," The Dragonborn muttered - although her voice was quiet in volume the tone was confident and sure of herself. The entire conversation seemed to have flipped over onto itself, now throwing Aela into the line of fire when previously Annika had been in it. The huntress felt her painted cheeks light with a blush immediately, wondering how she was going to follow up to that right as her Shield-sister said some more, "You can't put all of the blame on me."

If anything she sounded betrayed. Aela swallowed hard, almost audibly. It didn't get rid of the bad taste that for some reason lingered on her tongue. If she backed down then she was either respected or thought of as a coward who didn't stand by her opinions. Not at all wanting to be viewed as the second one and definitely not wanting to take the chance, the huntress forced words from her mouth like forcing a lute from a bard's hands, "You're usually the first to initiate conversation. I assumed that's the way you liked to do things as all." For some reason Aela wasn't sure if that was true or simply a very convincing lie. Either way she had a feeling that the Dragonborn wasn't going to believe her.

A very light sigh was emit from the newest Circle member, making the huntress tense up. Now she was beginning to regret starting this whole conversation in general instead of stopping it sooner, "I appreciate that..." The sound of shoulderplates clanging against flesh let Aela know that her Shield-sister had shrugged without looking at her. By the sound of the last words spoken - the huntress doubted that conversation was going to continue. It relieved her. But the walk to Gallows Rock was far from over.

And it was more than awkward to endure.

* * *

Gallows Rock was an eerie outline on the horizon. Aela could smell silver and beast blood even at the respectably distance she crouched from it. Annika hovered a fair distance from her. Not a single word had been spoken for long hours, and the sun had long since fallen. The only light they received was from the moon and the stars - one that the huntress and Dragonborn were very familiar with. A Silver Hand lookout was visible on the top of a stone tower. Annika drew her bow and silently let an arrow fly, the figure slumping and leaving their sight. Aela smiled.

Proceeding forward in silence the two blended with their environment like Spriggans did with wood. Aela held her shield tightly, ready to back Skjor if he needed the aid. Whether they had had an argument or not, that didn't change the fact they were Shield-siblings. Shield-siblings watched out for one another no matter what the circumstances. The huntress found herself glancing at Annika from the corner of her eye almost every second. Even though Aela didn't at all agree with what Skjor had said, she was going to make sure that her Shield-sister came out of this place unharmed. If anything happened to her the guilt would plague her for eternity. The huntress brought her focus to the task at hand.

The two Companions passed underneath a stone archway, both of them crouching in silence. Not far to their left sat a Silver Hand, sitting on the dirt next to a very low burning fire. A silver sword was sheathed on the Redguard's side. Aela felt herself shudder a bit at the sight of the mineral, one that burnt like fire, stung like venom, and was probably the most painful way in existence for a werewolf to die. The huntress had seen it happen but had only been struck herself once before. To put it lightly - it wasn't fun.

An elbow nudged at Aela's side. When she looked the huntress saw the Dragonborn staring back at her - tapping her bow with a lithe finger. Aela simply nodded, the agreement made in the same silence as before. Once again Annika drew her bow, aiming precisely at the back of the Silver Hand's head. Companions were used to seeing blood spill - as was Aela. But she rarely did it in a sneaky manner. Although this was a bit new to her, being a warrior at heart, she wanted to learn and adapt. The Dragonborn pulled the bow string back in such a way that it didn't creak, didn't make their presence known in the slightest. An elven arrow was then notched, a sound still never made. Only when she let it fly was there a noise - one that the huntress never would have been able to hear if she hadn't been at Annika's side. The projectile pierced the back of the Redguard's head and he fell onto his face. Aela found a smirk make its way to her lips.

If there were any more guards the two Companions didn't see them. But that wasn't their concern at that moment. Skjor had been gone for a very long time. If he was in trouble or if Krev the Skinner was interrogating him on information regarding the Companions, his two Shield-sisters were ready to help him as soon as he needed it. After killing the Redguard they found a wooden door and immediately pushed it open, revealing a small stone room. What caught Aela's eye was the werewolf head pierced upon a stake. They were supposed to scare any potential invaders. But all it did to her in particular was send her into a determined sort of rage. Annika seemed unaffected by it and the huntress didn't speak of the keep-out sign aloud. Another thing that made her think a bit differently was seeing a doorway being blocked by metal bars. Her nose wrinkled.

"Look at them," Aela spat out in a harsh whisper, not wanting to make their presence known if they had that option, "Cowards must have locked the place up after Skjor charged in." She could perfectly picture him charging through in beast form, slicing through Silver Hand and ripping them to pieces. But she could also for some reason perfectly picture him getting impaled with a silver greatsword. The huntress blinked a few times, dismissing the images, "You can practically smell the fear..."

When Annika spoke her voice wasn't as hushed as her Shield-sisters, "If a werewolf charged into your base and started killing your peers, I think anyone would be shaken." The Dragonborn had found a pull chain which she tugged, Aela noticing the way the muscles in her forearm flexed when she did so. The metal bars previously blocking their entry disappeared from view. The huntress had barely heard what was said by her Shield-sister. Worry for Skjor started to overpower everything else. Sneaking didn't seem important anymore.

Aela stood from her crouch, Annika doing the same without question. The huntress proceeded down a few stone steps in a sort of trance, not even registering what was happening around her. For some reason not seeing Skjor immediately was making her more terrified than she had felt in a long time. When a Silver Hand Khajiit ran at her, her own Skyforge steel blade was thrust forward without her even feeling it - embedding itself into the fur coated chest. The cat's corpse fell to the floor while she simply kept going. The Dragonborn was speaking to her, asking questions probably. But Aela didn't hear anything besides her own footsteps or her heavy breathing. She felt as if something was pressing on her chest.

Something was wrong.

Aela wasn't sure what. But something had happened. An event had occurred that would change everything. Yet she had no clue what it was. Her body tensed. Everything seemed to be spinning in circles. She didn't participate in any more combat, or at least not to her knowledge. Everything was moving more slow than usual. The huntress had no idea where she was going but her instinct seemed to be acting as an internal map. Hands were idly tracing along stone walls that she passed by. Dizziness enveloped her senses.

"_Aela!" _A voice suddenly called out to her, the trance shattered at how desperate and confused it sounded. The huntress blinked twice, the world gradually returning to her. She stood in a large stone room lit by torches and braziers. Silver Hand corpses lay all around, elven arrows stuck in various parts of their bodies. Werewolf pelts were hung on tanning racks. But what caught her eye the most was Annika herself. She was being restrained by a woman in full steel plate armor. Although her face was concealed, Aela was positive it was none other than Krev the Skinner. A few chills went up her spine at the sight of a silver blade being pressed flat-side up against the Dragonborn's neck. Her skin was being seared and Aela could see the expression of absolute agony on her Shield-sister's face. Her teeth started to grit openly.

Persuasion didn't work in those kinds of situations. Aela knew that from experience. Another thing she knew was that force was the most promising attempt. She wasn't far from where Krev stood. But if she simply dove towards the Skinner, blade ready, Annika's head would roll from her shoulders. The huntress was torn. Annika had never had to bear the pain of a wound caused by silver and she wasn't taking it very well. Aela was steadily losing control of rational thinking, but when she saw a tear roll down her Shield-sister's cheek from the pain, it was lost completely.

Aela ran forward with such speed and ferocity that even she was surprised. Sword raised and ready to strike, Annika's eyes widened as the huntress felt a warcry tear its way out of her throat. Krev's expression was hidden by her helm, but Aela had a feeling it showed indecision. The Skinner released her grip on Annika, tossing her to the stone at their feet. When the huntress heard the Dragonborn cry out in pain she thought she might literally explode from her rage. Krev lashed out at her with her silver sword but Aela didn't slow her pace. Sometimes when the huntress fought and it was for simple sport, she would toy with people for a bit. But at that moment she had no patience. She just wanted to be done. In one swift movement she slammed her shield against the Skinner's raised weapon and brought her own blade down hard onto the first chink she spotted in her armor - an area near Krev's head. It was sent straight into where her collar bones were and it went in deep. The Silver Hand leader fell, dead.

"A-Aela..." A voice at her side whispered in agony. The huntress turned her head immediately to see Annika on the ground. It looked as if she had tried to get up, but was unable to. She was now hovering above the ground, propped up by her knees and forearms. It was only when she was in that position that Aela was able to see a few other wounds scattered about her body. A few were from silver, others from arrows or average weapons. The ones caused by the dreaded mineral were minor cuts on her arms. Aela felt concern slam into her like a battering ram, and she knelt down at her side, placing a hand onto her shoulder.

It was then that the Dragonborn looked up from the floor. Her eyes drifted all around the room, but they stopped ominously on something and were held there. When the sapphire widened a bit, the huntress felt her worry from before returning at a terrible rate. She stood and turned in the direction stared at by her Shield-sister. What she saw was an image that didn't leave her for the rest of her life.

Skjor. It was Skjor. He was on the ground. Why was he on the ground? Aela turned to look at him fully, walking towards him at a very slow rate with a furrowed brow. What was he doing? Was he injured? It was only when she got closer that she understood what had happened. She just wished with everything she had that what she thought wasn't true.

His eyes were closed. An enormous gash larger than any wound she had ever seen was on his chest. His skin was a deathly pale. It took a few more seconds. Then everything shattered.

Her silver eyes widened. Her mouth dropped open. A colossal wave of conflicting, confusing emotions seemed to nearly pummel her into the ground. She was confused because of the previous anger she had felt towards him that very day. She was angry because of what Krev had done. She was shocked at the fact he was really gone. She was in denial because he had seemed so untouchable in the past. And she was _sad. _For obvious reasons.

"Aela..." The sultry voice didn't sound how it usually did. It was softer. Compassionate. But it didn't phase her in the slightest. A few grunts of effort were heard over her shoulder. Annika must have stood. A sharp gasp also sounded. Not from pain. From astonishment. Aela felt her eyes starting to sting from something she rarely ever felt; tears.

It was then that she started to get angry. But angry in a confused way. If it hadn't been for the Dragonborn joining their ranks Skjor might still be alive. Deep down she knew that was ridiculous but she was broken apart. She didn't know any better. Her fists clenched tightly at her sides. A tear rolled down her cheek just when she growled lowly.

"Aela I-"

"-Get out of here." The huntress was too confused and upset. As more tears started to steadily roll down her cheeks, they turned a dark blue color as they dipped off her chin. Her eyes closed tightly but that didn't stop them.

"Aela..." The Dragonborn seemed offended by how hostile her Shield-sister had sounded.

Feeling the rage flaring, Aela turned around to look at Annika and shouted, "_Leave."_

Annika spotted the tears and her own eyes widened. For a few seconds the two simply stared at one another, the huntress' shoulders hunched over a bit from her strange rage. It took a few minutes of staring until finally, her expression contorted into that of pure, absolute sympathy and she turned around before walking away. Aela watched her go. It was only when she entirely left her sight that the huntress lost all control.

Sobbing openly, hysterically, she fell to her knees next to Skjor's body. It shouldn't hurt. Companions were supposed to be used to death. There was a funeral. Then it was done. But this was different. She hadn't cried for years and years. This just hit her in a certain way. The tears didn't stop. They fell from her silver gaze and into her Shield-brother's blood, the two mixing and creating a unique concoction of emotional pain. The huntress buried her face into her calloused hands, tears seeping through her fingers. She sounded so weak and arrogant and _foolish. _

A hand rested on her trembling shoulder. The sobs that violently racked her body almost physically hurt her. Aela knew whose hand it was. Although part of her was still angry for some unknown reason she couldn't stop the foreign, unwanted tears. Somebody knelt down at her side. Her eyes were glued to Skjor's body but her cheeks lit up with a slight blush of embarrassment. Tears made her cheeks glisten. When arms wrapped around her quaking body, she immediately complied.

And there she knelt, next to the body of Skjor, wrapped in Annika Vvanderfell's arms as she sobbed hysterically.


	7. VII

**So sorry for taking such a long time with that last chapter, hopefully that won't happen again :P Like I said a long time ago, I get busy sometimes. Plus that one was longer! Hope you liked it. Please review this if you have the time! I love reviews. Way more than I should. :3**

Aela sighed a bit, rubbing at her eye with a clenched fist. Her silver gaze skirted along all papers regarding the Silver Hand as if some new information would come up, something that might take her mind off of the small funeral her Shield-siblings had the night before. Annika hadn't been there. Off running errands for her like usual. The Dragonborn hadn't been on her mind as much as usual for obvious reasons even though the huntress was using her as a Silver Hand assassin. She had plenty of other things to think about.

The black-haired twins were being especially selfless if she ever came around. That didn't happen very often since she spent most of her time in the living quarters, having pushed all of the food and banquet items off one of the tables to reserve it for her needs, and staring at the meager information she had managed to collect on the Silver Hand. Whenever Kodlack walked by she did her best to make it look as if she was investigating the fragments of Wuuthrad. Aela knew that the old man didn't like her seeking blood in the way that she was. But the huntress couldn't help it. She had so much pent up aggression and sadness - it had to be let out at some point and she honestly didn't care how. Yet she didn't breathe a word of it to any of her Shield-siblings besides Annika. None of them could be fully trusted.

Annika took the most pity on her, that much was made obvious. Every time the Dragonborn came to Jorrvaskr after having returned from one of her missions, she would retreat to the living quarters to find Aela and would always try and fail to speak with her. The huntress would simply look at her and mutter very brief responses, but if Annika brought up Skjor she dropped the conversation entirely. Aela actually wasn't sure how she felt about the Dragonborn after his passing. The argument the two had the day before he died still lingered heavily, looming over her like a sort of fog. Another fact that made guilt bite at her core was the fact that the last thing she had said to him was related to Xakos. And the last time the two ever touched was when she slapped him. The huntress felt her eyes becoming glossy.

Her sharp teeth bit down on her bottom lip so hard that a fine path of blood trickled off her chin. She wiped it frantically away with the heel of her hand, glaring at the wood of the table as if it had just insulted her. Emitting a noise that sounded partially like she was clearing her throat and a bit like a growl, she tried to bring her attention back to the Silver Hand plans she managed to steal from a courier a few days before. Another thought that started to greatly burden her was that Kodlack recently asked if she could send Annika his way the next time she was in Jorrvaskr. He wanted to talk to her. What about, she had absolutely no idea. But it worried her greatly. Aela had sent Annika out to eradicate another Silver Hand base a few days Dragonborn should be back on that very day and for some reason the thought was overwhelming. Aela sighed again, burying her face into her hands for a few seconds.

Maybe Kodlack had caught on about their attacks on the werewolf hunters? But if that was the case why did he have to ask Annika about it? Why not just ask the huntress? She was always in Jorrvaskr and basically hadn't left it since Skjor's death. Maybe it was regarding something else. If so, then what? Idly moving her hands towards one of the parchments in front of her Aela rolled it into a scroll before wrapping it with a tie, placing it into a pile of ones that looked just like it. She grabbed the bottle of mead she had been nursing for the last few hours, taking another very small swig. The first few days after Skjor's passing she had gotten horribly drunk. Now it was difficult to be sober. But she was managing.

All of the papers were starting to look the same to her from days of staring at the same ones, trying to find a secret that might lead her to a base or more information but finding nothing. She had sucked what little resources she had dry and was left with no more leads, nothing else to go off of. One of her nearly quaking hands made its way to her crimson hair and started fiddling with it, eyes closing gently at first but then clenching tightly shut from frustration.

_This is getting nowhere. Take a break. _Aela told herself in her head. Although it took much more effort than it should have, the huntress placed both of her hands on the edge of the table and pushed hard, the chair moving away from it. She stood up very slowly before pushing the chair back into place and looking up and down the hall. Nobody was in sight, not even Tilma. It was oddly quiet.

The silence was suddenly broken by the familiar sound of the door to the living quarters being pushed open. Aela's head lazily turned that way, her movements slowed because of how heavy her body was with grief at all times. Standing by the door, looking a bit worse for wear was Annika Vvanderfell. Even though she had a few bruises lining her arms and very shallow cuts on some of her exposed skin, the Dragonborn never ceased to look absolutely perfect. Her toned, muscular arms made their way to her head, where she fiddled at her braids as if they had come loose which they definitely hadn't. Her beautiful sapphire eyes locked immediately onto Aela. One of her delicate looking hands rested on a waterskin strapped to her hip, the other raised lowly in a slight wave. The huntress didn't return the gesture of greeting and simply let herself become more intoxicated from her Shield-sister's beauty than she was from her alcoholic beverage.

"Hi..." Annika muttered, stepping closer to the huntress. The distance between the two was much larger than Aela wanted it to be. The two stared at one another for a few moments. The huntress didn't speak a word in response to the greeting and instead simply extended her hand. The Dragonborn moved forward, grasping her Shield-sibling's hand gently and shaking twice. The beautiful Nord didn't let go of Aela's hand and held it loosely, the huntress not finding herself emotionally strong enough to break the grasp.

"Hey..." Aela finally murmured. Her voice cracked. If she had thought Annika's expression showed sympathy before now pity was thrown in the mix as well. Silently cursing at herself in her mind, when the Dragonborn extended her arms ever so slightly the huntress threw herself into them. Fair, soft hands wrapped her tightly in a warm embrace, making her almost want to cry. But she wouldn't. Not after her fit of sobbing when she first discovered Skjor's body. Just thinking about that made her embarrassed all over again.

"I know you don't want to talk about it..." Annika whispered, her lips nearly pressed against her ear, "...but if you ever have anything to say don't hesitate to come to me." Her voice was more comforting than anything else ever could have been. The huntress felt the grief relenting. She also felt the fond feelings from what felt like ages before returning at a steady rate. Unable to speak for fear of tears Aela simply nodded into her Shield-sister's shoulder. She could feel her crimson hair being stroked and it made chills go up and down her spine. The two stayed that way for a long time before the huntress finally remembered what Kodlack had asked of her.

"Kodlack wants to see you..." Aela muttered into the Dragonborn's shoulder plate. She never wanted Annika to let go yet she knew that wasn't an option. Her eyes clenched tightly closed in irritation, wishing that she could freeze the moment they were in.

The Dragonborn continued to stroke her Shield-sister's hair, twirling it with her fingers in a compassionate way. Aela found herself nearly overcome with the feelings that enveloped her, Annika's scent overwhelming her senses. It was a mixture of combat and the wilderness. Tundra cotton flowers and blood. It was a strange combination indeed, but for some reason it was one of the most alluring things she had ever had to endure.

"Did he tell you what it was about?" The Dragonborn's voice was so sweet sounding it made her tremble a bit. Aela felt her Shield-sister's grip tighten in a defensive way when she did so. A smile made its way to her lips.

"No... my advice; always be honest with the old man, but don't tell him anything he doesn't need to know." Knowing that she might very well be unable to in a fe seconds, the huntress forced herself to withdraw from the embrace yet it seemed difficult for Annika as well. The two pulled back, the space between them still very small, exchanging heavy breaths between one another. Right when the huntress thought she was going to lose all control and capture those lips with her own, the Dragonborn took a few steps back, a warm smile on her perfect face.

"I won't be long."

* * *

This plan seemed unnecessary. If she had to carry it out with anyone other than Annika, Aela thought she might have refused.

Like she had predicted, Kodlack had his suspicions on their dealings with the Silver Hand. He was worried about a counterattack. The huntress thought that in particular was ridiculous, those werewolf hunters were far too cowardly to storm into Jorrvaskr like that. Either way, if she was going to continue her efforts to eradicate them she would have to convince her paranoid Harbinger that they were doing other things as well. Annika's idea was to focus more on the fragments of Wuuthrad, and that recovering one would show him how they had been multitasking. During her research on the Silver Hand she had managed to recover some minor information regarding the fragments, and if her hopes were correct she had pinpointed one of their locations. It was an old nordic ruin. The huntress and the Dragonborn were headed there, Annika with seemingly no cares in the world while Aela proceeded sullenly, still a bit weighted by grief.

As the two walked through the chilling Skyrim air, not a large distance between them, Aela started to realize something. She knew absolutely nothing of the Vvanderfell's past. Not of her heritage, her beliefs, her history in general. The only thing she was sure of was that she had joined the Companions with thorough interest. Other than that the beautiful Nord remained a complete mystery. Her crimson brow furrowed at the thoughts. For all she knew this carefree soul may have a terribly dark past, troubled families, or emotional scars. She looked at the beautiful woman at her side from the corner of her eye. Before her thoughts could convince her otherwise, Aela decided to ask about it.

"Annika?" Her voice sounded meek and small. She cleared her throat, not waiting for a response, "I was just thinking... well..." The huntress remembered that she wanted to try to be more straightforward with the Dragonborn. Although it was a bit difficult to do with all of the nerves seemingly clawing at her insides, she managed, "...we've known each other for a while now, but I still know nothing of your past." A major shift in the air made Aela tense up, "If you would rather not talk about it I completely understand. I was just curious, as all."

Annika started fiddling with things to preoccupy herself, a sign of nervousness that only made Aela even more curious. It also made her wonder if she had crossed a line she hadn't known was drawn. Maybe her past was a touchy topic. If so she regretted bringing it up. Right as the Dragonborn started adjusting her braids, she managed to speak in such a tone Aela became very concerned.

"Let me just ask you a question..." Annika murmured in a way that the huntress couldn't place what emotions were behind it. She wanted to hold the Dragonborn's hand, to comfort her and tell her that it was alright, but she didn't. She couldn't. Instead she simply listened with extreme intent to the next words said, "...do you side with the Empire or the Stormcloaks?"

That question was not at all what she expected. Now that it was actually being asked she found herself a bit lost. Aela knew that Farkas sided with the Stormcloaks while Vilkas sided with the Imperials, one of the few disagreements the two had. She also knew that many of the Companions didn't much care for politics and were simply ready to defend Whiterun, no matter who was attacking. The huntress felt like that was more something she would do.

"I don't pay much attention to the war... so I guess I don't side with either. Why do you ask?" Their footsteps and paces were starting to synchronize. But the Dragonborn seemed far more calm than Aela.

Annika sighed lightly, running her hand down her face for a second or two, "Because the only reason I even came to Skyrim was... well..." Her brow furrowed, beautiful sapphire eyes drifting to the road, "...I was supposed to be executed by the Empire at Helgen. The only reason I survived was because of the dragon attack."

Aela was thoroughly surprised. She was definitely not expecting that as an answer. Even though she was the Dragonborn, and the huntress had heard several tales of dragons attacking all holds, but when she tried to picture her Shield-sister fighting the ancient beasts she simply couldn't. Yet another shock was that technically Annika was an outlaw to the empire. Yet she had sent her on plenty of jobs near Haafingar and the Dragonborn returned unscathed. Perhaps nobody from Helgen had survived to report her. Her jaw set.

"...where are you originally from, if not Skyrim?" Aela asked, changing the topic for fear of where that conversation would have gone. Honestly she didn't care what Annika's criminal record was. Her morals seemed in order to her, and that was all that mattered.

The air lightened. Clearly the Dragonborn was relieved she no longer had to talk about the troubled parts of her past and could return to the facts, "My only family left lives in Cyrodiil. Most of my elders died during the Great War, but I still have my father. He lives in a city called Bruma. We used to be very close - but ever since I came to Skyrim we've only been communicating by letter..." Annika sighed, "...I miss him..."

The huntress' brow furrowed ever so slightly, feeling sympathy for the beautiful Nord at her side. Aela herself had no family left alive, but then again she hadn't been overly close with them or separated from either of her parents for too long. She slowly opened her mouth to continue discussing the topic but she decided against it after spotting their destination not far off. Annika spotted it as well, the two unsheathing their weapons in odd unison. Whenever the huntress thought of ancient Nords the ominous Draugr came to mind. Little did she know that the two Companions would be dealing with dozens of them soon enough.

* * *

"_Fus-"_

Aela's eyes widened, turning away from her combat with a Wight to see Annika barely fending off a very intimidating undead Nord. The Draugr wore a helm, something that she hadn't seen on any of the previous ones she had slain. It must have been a sign of power. This one must have been stronger than the others. The huntress was having a hard enough time with the Scourges. Running her Skyforge steel sword through the walking corpse she was attacking and tossing it to the floor afterward, Aela kept her eyes glued to her struggling Shield-sister. Turning to help on instinct and not knowing if there were any other threats nearby, her sudden movements towards the Draugr Lord got its attention to turn to her.

"_-Ro Dah!" _

The next thing she knew, a force more brutal than any sort of shield had ever felt slammed into her front and knocked her entirely off her feet. Air whistled in her ears as she was shot backwards at unreal speeds, the wind viciously knocked out of her lungs and leaving her mouth in a strangled gasp. Aela felt as if she was in the air that way for hours, being put into a sort of shock that was only shattered when she hit something. Something sharp.

It was a table covered in ancient Nordic embalming tools. A good amount of them embedded into her back while the ones that didn't cut it severely. The huntress cried out loudly, feeling blood gushing from the dozens of newly acquired wounds. Never in her life had she endured such excruciating pain at the one time - the only thing slightly comparable when she first turned into a beast. Blades had touched and scraped her spinal cord, some still stuck in her flesh as she fell flat on her face. Silver eyes clamped tightly shut and repeated hisses and groans of pain were emit through clenched teeth. It didn't help the agony.

"_Aela!" _A familiar yet distant sounding voice called out her name. For some reason it sounded as if the speaker was incredibly far away from her. The huntress felt her mind becoming very foggy. It was difficult to determine what was going on. All of her body other than her injured back started to numb. The sound of a blade entering flesh was for some reason louder than the voice had been. Something had died. Footsteps that were very distorted and eerie made their way to her. Or were they getting farther away? Aela couldn't tell. Nothing made sense.

Maybe her eyes had been open, because at a point through the searing pain she spotted a flickering orange ball in the fuzzy palm of somebody's hand. It flitted a few times before disappearing altogether, the hand's owner exclaiming "Damn!" as she shook her palm about in an attempt to boost her magicka. Although the huntress could barely feel anything other than her back, when smooth delicate hands rested on her shoulders the sensation was so familiar Aela realized who they belonged to. Annika.

The Dragonborn's usually alluring voice now sounded desperate. Pleading. Worried sick. What parts that the huntress managed to make out were very quiet and vague, while the rest of it sounded as if it were in a different language of some kind.

"Aela come on! U-um stay with me I-I can get you help!" Her Shield-sister tried to say, her panic showing very clearly in her tone. The orange ball flickered again before fading once more, the Dragonborn emitting a more foul curse that time. When one of the blades stuck in her back was grabbed by the hilt and torn out without any prior warning, Aela couldn't help but cry out sharply in pain. A smooth arm held her to the ground where she writhed, "Sorry! I'm so sorry!"

The world seemed to be drifting steadily past her. Suddenly the urge to sleep was becoming stronger and stronger. The huntress felt more exhausted than she had ever felt in her entire life, as if she hadn't slept in weeks. Her eyelids became heavy. Her mind was having such a hard time trying to part the fog that it simply made her more drowsy. She felt her body slump as the strange, intoxicating sleep started to overcome her but fair hands on her cold cheeks woke her up again.

"Stay with me damn it! I'm getting you out of here!" Annika's voice spoke again, this time in a shout. The huntress couldn't move, see, and her ability to hear was also starting to gradually fade. Thinking, too, seemed nearly impossible not to mention pointless at that moment. What was she going to think about? It was too hard to figure out what was going on. The pain in her back was beginning to spread throughout her entire body, and even the slightest touch made her grimace or cringe. It was too much. She just had to... sleep. If she slept then she would have her strength back. Sleeping was good. Her decision silently made - a way to escape the pain hopefully, Aela stopped trying to fight her instinct and let slumber overtake her.


	8. VIII

**Guys this thing has crazy views, but not so crazy reviews. D: You know that I love them! Please leave some! They're more than fantastic. Thanks so much by the way for how many followers, favs, and views this has. It's wonderful :D**

_Nighttime in Skyrim might just have been one of the most beautiful things Aela had ever seen. In mere seconds after she had previously felt agonizing pain, she was now becoming enveloped with a strange satisfied feeling. But she wasn't in Skyrim, she was somewhere else. The sky was dark but there was no moon, beautiful, colored lights even more intense than the ones in her home province were making the huntress smile. A stone staircase led down to a path but for some reason her entire body felt happily numb. It seemed as if she would have been more than content if she stayed standing in that same spot her entire life. _

_Xakos and Skjor hovered at the bottom of the steps, staring at her with warm smiles on their faces. Both of them looked more youthful than they had previously and far more relieved than she had ever seen. Skjor's scar was completely gone - as if it had faded overnight. When the huntress thought about it after the fact she considered it strange, but at the moment it seemed like the most normal thing in the world. The two hovered there for a while before walking towards her very slowly. Aela simply watched them with a wide smile. As they got closer she felt more and more feeling being restored to her. It was a warm feeling that started bubbling in her chest and then spread to the tips of her fingers and toes. As they finally reached her, they both extended their hands in unison to grab hers-_

- "We were just doing as you asked, Kodlack, do you think that I expected this to happen?" A compassionate, familiar voice murmured underneath her breath. Aela still felt oddly numb, the warm feeling having gone away entirely now.

"No of course not," Her Harbinger's voice and scent enveloped the huntress' senses but she still found herself unable to move. Her eyes felt open but she couldn't see anything. The world was black. It confused her greatly but to keep herself composed she focussed on the words being spoken, "I am simply surprised. She has never once had an accident this bad... her Shield-siblings and I are not sure how to react."

Aela's Shield-sister sighed lightly, the sound alluring in a unique way, "Danica said that she should be getting up soon..."

"...that was days ago, Annika. She hasn't moved a muscle since then..." Kodlack muttered under his breath, so quiet the huntress strained to hear it, "...I don't know what to think. I am aware that you have been staying here nearly every waking minute, but that does not mean you can simply ignore the rest of your duties as a Companion."

Aela was a bit surprised at Kodlack's harshness. He usually wasn't like that. She wanted to move. Everything still felt numb. They were talking about Danica Pure-Spring, a healer of Kynareth, but she couldn't figure out as to why. What the two were talking about didn't make much sense to her either.

"I know, Kodlack, but I feel entirely responsible for what happened and if she gets up I want to be here. I want to tell her what happened. If she just hears it from a healer it won't be the same... you understand that don't you?" The Dragonborn sounded so emotional and wounded. Mainly guilty. The huntress wanted desperately to wake up and simply hold her Shield-sister in her arms to comfort her. But it was impossible at that moment - at least now only her limbs and face were numb.

"Remotely, yes. But by turning all of your attention towards her, it makes your other Shield-siblings feel that you do not trust them as much. Loyalty and being able to depend on one another is far more essential than anything else and you know that by now. She has been unconscious for over a week..." Kodlack must have shifted where he stood. His armor clanked.

Annika grumbled a curse under her breath, making the huntress want to smile but finding herself unable to because of her numb face, "I... it's going to be hard but you're right. I suppose I won't stay in here as long as usual if that really is how you feel..." The Dragonborn trailed off, a silence growing that was even awkward for the huntress before she spoke once more in a very quiet meaningful tone, "...Kodlack... what if she... doesn't make it? How would I live that down...? It was my fault that Draugr got at her, I was the one fighting it after all... what if she doesn't get up?"

Now more than anything Aela wanted to stand. She had no clue that Annika felt that way about her. Her Shield-sister sounded so concerned and worried. Now that the huntress regained feeling her her torso her stomach was starting to hurt from an unknown feeling. Now that Kodlack was being so insensitive towards the situation the huntress realized that her Harbinger wasn't going to help the Dragonborn much. Only seeing that Aela was alright would make Annika calm down again - would make the guilt go away. She made an oath that as soon as she regained feeling in her limbs the first thing she would do would be to find the Dragonborn. The conversation that might follow might include other things to occur.

"I wouldn't think like that, Annika," Kodlack murmured in his deep, hardened voice, "Aela is one of the strongest Companions in Jorrvaskr. Although this has been an unusually major incident related to her, don't doubt her ability to work through it." The huntress was relieved to hear her Harbinger being a bit more understanding than before. But it still wasn't the way she would have comforted her Shield-sister.

"Thank you Kodlack," A shaky sigh cut through the thick air, "I suppose that eased my nerves a bit..." Aela felt the familiar sapphire eyes on her again, the feeling unforgettable and comforting. Another silence formed for a few minutes, the welcoming gaze not leaving, "...I'll be going, then...maybe Vilkas has a job for me."

"Hold on a moment, would you?" Kodlack's voice spoke again, "I have a request." Although Annika didn't speak a verbal response the huntress assumed that the two had exchanged some things through their eye contact, "I wish to rid myself of this curse, this beast that lives inside of me. Although Farkas, Vilkas, and Aela still consider this to be a blessing - I remain a true Nord. I wish to be taken into Sovngarde when I depart from Skyrim and not be... _abducted _into Hircine's hunting grounds against my will. The only way to reverse this terrible condition would be to receive the heads of the Glenmoril witches - the demons that started this awful predicament... they remain Northwest of Falkreath. If you would do this for me I would be eternally grateful."

Aela vaguely remembered hearing a story regarding the famed witches, having come from Vilkas during a session of boasting around the hearth. Everybody elses stories had been much more interesting and told with much more gusto, so the huntress didn't pay much attention. The only part she entirely recalled wa that the witches were Hagravens. She didn't want Annika going up against those beasts alone. But judging by the way they were talking about her she wouldn't be fit to go on a mission for quite a while. Aela cursed in her mind at the fact she couldn't move.

"Aye. I'll get to it immediately... erm..." The sapphire eyes were felt on the huntress again, making her stomach do a couple of backflips, "...I'm just going to have a word with her if you don't mind..." Aela could imagine the doubting look on Kodlack's face at her Shield-sister's words and she so desperately wanted to regain her ability to see. The sound of a hand clapping a shoulder plate made the huntress realize that Kodlack had departed. She was alone with the Dragonborn. Her stomach filled with butterflies.

Light footsteps made their way in her direction. _Gods please grant me my ability to move! _Aela thought to herself. She remained in the same position although she wasn't as numb as before. Movement wasn't possible - but when a beautifully smooth hand intertwined their fingers, it was one of the best feelings she had felt in a long time. A soft thumb brushed along the back of her hand, making chills go up the huntress' spine.

"Hello..." The Dragonborn's voice sounded so hurt and guilt-ridden it almost made the huntress want to cry, "...Kodlack wants me to do some things for him... so I've got to go now." The ability to move was starting to return. It was agonizingly slow but it was coming back to her, "I know that you would probably deny it, but I can't help feeling like this was all my fault..." _It isn't! _Aela thought to herself - even though she wasn't even entirely sure what her Shield-sister was referring to, "...I'm so sorry. Really, I am." There was an enormous silence. But it made a large portion of her movement return.

It was then that Aela felt a pair of plush, full lips being pressed to her forehead. And it was then that all of her motions returned to her at the exact same time. Her eyes shot open. Annika was leaning over her, mouth gingerly kissing the huntress' head. Silver orbs immediately widened. Smiling broadly on instinct, her arms immediately moved upwards and wrapped themselves around her Shield-sister's neck, eliciting a sharp gasp of surprise. The Dragonborn hugged her back tightly despite her immense confusion.

"A-Aela! You're awake!" Annika exclaimed. The huntress didn't think she had ever heard her Shield-sister that happy before. It made her smile widen. She buried her face into her Shield-sister's hair, basking in the scent of a forge and the forest. For some reason she didn't speak, finding herself unable to and not knowing what she was supposed to say. Instead she let the Dragonborn continue, the sound of her voice addicting, "Praise the Gods! I thought I had lost you for good!"

Feeling that talking was now needed, Aela spoke in a very raspy voice that she must have received from not uttering a word in quite a while, "I'm alright. Really." When the huntress felt a familiar, lovely hand tuck some of her crimson locks behind her ear she felt all of the romantic feelings returning in a gigantic wave. Her cold, pale cheeks lit up with a blush. Somehow her war paint was still on.

"I'm so sorry for what has happened, it's all my fault. You're sure you're okay?" Annika asked her, the Dragonborn's hot breath warmy her icy ear. The huntress shuddered.

"No. It wasn't your fault at all, don't ever think that." Her voice was muffle on account her lips were now tangled within her Shield-sister's hair. That lithe neck was so close to her mouth. Surely she was going to lose her willpower to restrain herself soon enough, this woman was too damn perfect.

Neither of them spoke another word - not finding it needed. Their embrace didn't get any less tight and it didn't once falter, the two making up for the time that they hadn't been able to hold one another in that way. Aela would have been more than content if they stayed that way for all eternity. Over time the huntress realized where she was. In her bedroom, laying on her bed. She wasn't sure how she had gotten there or what had happened since that Nordic ruin but at that moment she couldn't have cared any less. They stayed that way for a long time, most likely hours, before finally the Dragonborn was the first to pull away - just barely, hovering over the huntress with an odd glint to her sapphire gaze. Their hot breath mixed between the small distance.

Annika's eyes were so enticing. They literally looked exactly like the precious gemstone she continuously compared them to and rivalled it in beauty. The Dragonborn's lips were so plush and attractive. After the brief peck her forehead had received it left her yearning for more. Nervousness overtook her previously calm demeanor. Lust showed in her Shield-sister's eyes, something that greatly surprised her. Not once had Annika ever matched her romance, but now it was coming a bit close. She didn't want to get her hopes up...

...Annika dipped her head, their lips grazing briefly before she muttered against Aela's mouth, "I have to do Kodlack's bidding... but I'm glad you're awake." With that she pushed herself away from the huntress and stood for a few moments. It was only then that Aela spotted something that made her heart stop.

An amulet of Mara. Annika Vvanderfell was wearing an amulet of Mara. She felt her mouth drop open, but before any questions could spill out her Shield-sister left her bedroom, leaving the huntress breathless and stunned. She couldn't move. Her entire body was shaking. If that amulet was meant for her - why hadn't the Dragonborn said anything? She must be interested in somebody else. Somebody who wasn't her. Aela lay back down in her bed and almost wished she hadn't gotten up at all.

* * *

Annika had been gone for _weeks. _Aela had heard the orders given and it shouldn't have taken that long. Not only was she getting worried, she was getting enormously jealous. That amulet of Mara was still probably on that perfect woman's neck, and she was also being courted after by every man she passed by. Just the thought of some slimy man trying to bed her made the huntress almost cough up the bread in her mouth. Even Kodlack was getting worried. He claimed that the Silver Hand were getting stronger in their absence of attacking and that they would soon retaliate. Aela brushed his suspicions off as paranoia. But one day while she sat around the hearth, still being playfully taunted by Farkas on account of her near death experience, the doors were kicked down.

And the Silver Hand flooded into Jorrvaskr.


	9. IX

**I'll try to update this faster, sorry again! I had company all weekend and I spent a few days before getting ready for it. Seriously though I really want some reviews! I don't want to start doing that thing where I don't post another chapter before you review the last one - but I will if I have to. So please! It only takes like two seconds :D**

Aela shot out of her seat, ripping the sword from her waist while she hunted frantically for her shield. The Silver Hand spread throughout the mead hall, already baring their weapons while her Shield-siblings were forced to fight with whatever they could find. The huntress watched the drunken Torvar embed a butter knife into a Silver Hand's eye. She was lucky that she even had her sword at hand.

One of the invaders charged at her with a silver greatsword. Aela barely managed to lunge out of the way, but because of her haste she slammed into a support beam. Growling in pain and in overall rage, the huntress rolled on the floor to escape the large weapon from slamming into her chest. Frustrated at the position she had been momentarily put into, Aela raised her foot and kicked her attacker's foot as hard as she could. Although it was covered by a steel cuffed boot his leg buckled and he fell to the wooden floor. His silver greatsword clattered to his side and while he struggled to grasp the hilt again the huntress stuck her sword through his head. Yanking the blade from his skull with some difficulty she frantically got to her feet, joints aching.

Looking around the mead hall for a few seconds she registered what was going on a bit more. Athis was blocking blows from a silver mace with an end table, his free hand trying desperately to reach his weapon that had fallen from his grey hand. Torvar had no weapon whatsoever and was using only his fists. He had already braved several silver wounds so it didn't pain him as much. He sported a few silver cuts on his arms at that moment but was pushing through the agony with clenched teeth. Njada was only wielding her shield and slammed it into a werewolf hunter, not having too much trouble. Farkas and Vilkas were fending off the blunt of the attack back to back, and they both had their weapons because they had been training mere minutes before the assault. Vignar wasn't there at the moment but had probably heard the commotion from outside, hopefully coming to help accompanied by Brill. Tilma was hopefully taking cover in the living quarters. Aela didn't want that poor old woman hurt. Ria was coming to Athis' aid to the best of her ability.

A boot slammed into the huntress' back, sending her face-first into the wooden floor. She had been distracted for too long, having been kicked to the ground. Turning around on her back as fast as she could she just barely saw the silver of a battleaxe being brought down. Shutting her eyes tightly Aela barely had the chance to raise her sword - the blow barely blocked. Sparks flew from the clashing weaponry, some of it hitting her flesh and making her hiss through clenched teeth. Backing up while she remained on the floor, the battleaxe was brought down again and again - each swipe nearly hitting her flesh until she finally reached the banquet table, using it to support herself while she managed to stand up.

Raising her foot she slammed it into the handle of the silver weapon, sending it clattering across the floor. The Silver Hand Khajiit glared at her, fanged teeth clenched together. He lunged forward, slamming his fist across her face. The claws buried within his furry knuckles ripped the flesh of her cheek apart. Yelping in pain, fine trails of blood dripping off her chin, she growled at him before lunging forward, slamming her forearm into his neck until she managed to slam him into a wall. Knocking him out with a headbutt she slammed her foot into his nose, hopefully injuring him enough to keep him down for a while.

The huntress turned around, now that she wasn't being attacked realizing that she should try to help her Shield-siblings. Njada was handling herself fine, Torvar had managed to snag himself a better weapon from a weapon rack. Ria was being distracted by a pack of Silver Hand that flocked to her when she got close enough, yet she seemed to be doing alright. Farkas and Vilkas continued to slice through the werewolf hunters like butter, not having a single problem with the combat. It was Athis who drew her attention mainly. He had lost his furniture shield and had backed into a wall, cornered by two Silver Hand. It looked as if they were toying with him, the elf's sword having been kicked a far distance from his reach. Before she could even begin to plan how she was going to help Aela leapt into action, sprinting towards her Shield-brother and praying to the Gods she got there in time to aid him.

The huntress reached the first Silver Hand - grabbing him by the back of the head and slamming his face into the closest surface, successfully knocking him unconscious. The other had noticed her attack but was for some reason fixed on the dark elf before him - maybe having been wounded by the Dunmer and holding a grudge. Aela knew the feeling all too well. Before she could do much to stop it, the Silver Hand brought his blade hard against her Shield-brother's stomach. Athis cried out in pain, the huntress having absolutely no idea how badly a blow from silver must have hurt when it was in such a vital area. The writhing dark elf fell to his side, clutching his wound that was already gushing blood over the floor. Feeling herself surging with absolute rage, Aela reached forward with both of her hands and snapped the werewolf hunter's neck. His body slumped to floor but she didn't so much as give it a second glance.

Before she had the chance to kneel at his side and worry about his condition, Njada surprisingly beat her to it. Bashing aside a Silver Hand with her shield she staggered to her Shield-brother's side, the strong Nord's eyes glistening. The huntress was far more than surprised, knowing very well that the two did not get along in the slightest. The frequent fistfights that they had was all the evidence she needed but she didn't question it one bit. Even if a Companion seemed to dislike another that didn't mean the two didn't have a strong bond. Like herself and Vilkas. Aela thought him to be very conceited and a bit too knowledgable, but if he needed her shield at his side in a fight she would be more than happy to oblige. That was how the Companions worked. Loyalty was honored far more than anything else. Like Kodlak often said, you needed to be able to trust whoever was at your back.

"Aela!" A familiar, deep raspy voice called out to her from over her shoulder, making the huntress turn immediately around. Farkas had stepped away from his twin for a few moments to aid Ria, although she hadn't needed it much. But now the only slightly injured Companion was focussed on something else. Their beloved Harbinger had emerged from the living quarters to aid in the fight. Although he was doing more than well the huntress understood his concern. Their Harbinger hadn't been in direct combat for such a long time and it got them nervous. She simply nodded at him so that he could return to the fight he was dealing with before rushing towards her Harbinger.

Kodlak ran his sword through a burly, well armored Silver Hand with ease. He looked like a rabid animal of some sort. Aela had only seen her Harbinger go into his beast form one time before, and it had been absolutely astonishing. He was a large wolf when he transformed, his claws were also yellow instead of the usual white - a sign of age amongst people with beast blood. She didn't think that he planned on turning again but he looked so angry. It was extremely rare to see him with any other expression other than stoicness or calm. Now his teeth were clenched in rage and he would emit a violent warcry every now and then. She was absolutely enthralled with him at that moment and was almost unaware that she had gotten to speaking distance. He locked eyes with her.

"Aela! Take Torvar and get outside! Stop any more of them that try to come in!" He said. The huntress started to panic when she saw a Silver Hand nearly land a blow on her Harbinger's side, but he simply jumped out of the way and brought his own blade hard into his assailant's side. After killing the werewolf hunter he looked to her with a raised eyebrow, clearly confused as to why she was still standing in the same spot, "Go quickly! We cannot let any more get inside!" At those words she managed to nod at him before running towards the door, passing by several corpses and combat. From what she knew nobody had died, at least no Companions. The only one majorly wounded seemed to be Athis. Now that she thought about it, if they managed to fend off this attack the Silver Hand would be majorly crippled - maybe even gone for good. The thought nearly made her smile but she couldn't. Not at that moment.

The rest of Whiterun didn't much know what to do. The Guard didn't do much either - not knowing who the attackers were because they were far too organized to be bandits. Most of them simply watched from afar while more of them flooded through the doors. Aela burst outside, already thrusting her blade into two heads in mere seconds. They fell, their corpses blocking the doorway and propping it open. Not having time to kick them out of the way and also wanting to be able to hear the combat from inside in case she was needed once again, she descended a dozen of the stone steps before being halted by a silver shield. It stung when it touched her bare arm but other than that she was alright enough. Angry at the pain that had been caused the huntress brought her blade horizontally, slicing off a werewolf hunter's head. Having forgotten to grab Torvar in her haste she was surprised to see him already at her side, downing their enemies with a heavy looking wa hammer. The two locked eyes and had a mutual agreement regarding the combat, her still slightly drunk Shield-brother taking the right side of the staircase while she took the left. Her blade impaled itself through several werewolf hunters, over and over again before she could realize how much time has gone by. Before long Torvar had grabbed her arm, yanking her out of the way when an arrow nearly embedded itself into her forehead. In a sort of trance she simply nodded at him in gratitude. He didn't do anything other than smile and return to his combat. But there were only four more of the werewolf hunters heading their way.

Torvar slammed his warhammer into one of their heads, Aela downing two more before the last fled in a panic. If there were any more they must have already run off. The attack was over. Aela smirked ever so slightly, letting out a long breath that she had been holding in for a while. Her knuckles were blindingly white from holding her hilt but she couldn't let it go for some reason. Also her shoulders didn't untense in the slightest. Torvar turned from the city first, the huntress looking at him. When he gasped and his eyes widened, her brow furrowed. It was then that she knew.

Somebody had died.

Turning around as well what she saw wasn't what she had expected. She assumed it would be Ria. She wasn't a whelp anymore, that was for sure, but she was the most inexperienced out of all of them. Maybe Njada. She had been distracted by Athis' wound. Maybe Athis himself, the wound he received being too painful to endure. Perhaps Vignar and Brill arrived and Brill risked his life to save the old man's. Although it seemed far fetched maybe Farkas or Vilkas had fallen. But it wasn't any of those people.

It was Kodlak.

Aela dropped her sword to her feet. The blade clattered down the steps and landed at the bottom, in front of a watching guard. Her mouth hung open. Her silver eyes widened so far she thought they might fall from her skull. Everything inside of her suddenly hurt. It was immensely different from Skjor's death. That one had been unique because of she and Skjor's previous relationship. But Kodlak had been like her father. He had brought her into the Companions. He had taught her several new techniques. He had made her the woman she was that day. And now he was gone. Everything shattered.

Aela fell to her knees. Her eyes were dry as the deserts of Elsweyr for some reason but everything inside of her hurt. It was then that she heard Farkas cry out something impossible to understand before he rushed to their Harbinger's side. He knelt down. He was crying. Vilkas walked towards him as well, putting a hand onto his brother's shoulder plate in a comforting way. Aela felt her heat shatter at the sight of the burly Companion's tears. But for some reason she still didn't cry. Even though she wanted to.

"What in the name of..." A familiar voice was said from behind her. The huntress knew who was behind her. But she was so confused. It hadn't happened. He was faking. He was still alive. He had to be, "...what's going on?!" Footsteps stomped towards them. It was then that Aela felt familiar eyes on the back of her head but she couldn't speak. Couldn't even move. Almost couldn't breath.

"It's the Silver Hand. They finally attacked..." Torvar's voice slurred. She wasn't sure if it was from sadness or from how drunk he still was. But she didn't care. What was going on?

"What?! Is everybody alright?! Aela!" Annika reached her Shield-sister's side, a hand on her shoulder. But she couldn't move. Her eyes remained open. She didn't think that she had blinked in a good few minutes because her eyes were stinging. Was she crying? The Dragonborn shook her shoulder but it did nothing. The huntress' silver eyes were glued to her Harbinger's body, "Aela! Are you okay?! What are you..." Her voice trailed off. The soft hand left her shoulder but she barely even felt it. It was then that her vision started to get patchy and black. Her head hung low. And then the anger occurred. But it made no sense whatsoever.

The huntress shot to her feet, her fists clenching tightly. Annika looked at her. The two locked eyes. It was only when the silver ones drifted that she noticed something else. Something that made the pain become even worse than it had been before when she thought that had been impossible.

The amulet was gone. The amulet of Mara no longer hung over her neck. Aela gasped aloud, the anger now turning into more emotional agony. That was why it took so long - why the Dragonborn had been gone for such a long time. She had been with somebody. Somebody who _wasn't _Aela. The huntress found her eyes now suddenly filled with tears. She couldn't. She just couldn't. While she stood, devastated, Vilkas came forth and pulled Annika aside. He was shouting at her. But suddenly Aela could barely hear. She fell down hard onto her back, just barely being caught by Torvar. She had fainted. And her life had fallen apart.


	10. X

**Wow! I said one thing about the reviews and I got like a hundred O.O that's awesome guys! Thanks so much for the positive feedback this has! Just so you know, I like reviews way more than follows or favorites because they're more personal and all that jazz. So please leave one! I don't care how short it is I just love 'em :D Oh, and thanks to etherealpuppy I realized that I was spelling Kodlak's name wrong . but I fixed it! I feel so stupid XD**

Aela watched the flames of Kodlak's body as they billowed symbolically into the sky. The torch she held in her hand dropped to the ground of the Skyforge and was put out on impact. Her head hung low, eyes clenching tightly shut. The crackling of her Harbinger's resting place made her want to cry. But she had shed enough tears, too many to count. Crying simply made things so much worse and she always hated herself afterwards, having buried her face deep into the recesses of her pillow to muffle any sounds that the unwanted actions caused. If anybody else was as broken apart as she was they weren't showing it. In fact, the only Shield-sibling that seemed as distraught as she was Farkas, somebody she never would have expected to go soft after a death like that. But Kodlak had basically been Vilkas and Farkas' father, they were so close. She didn't blame him for being a bit shaken up.

Annika wanted to help prepare the funeral but the huntress wouldn't let her. After Kodlak's death and seeing her without that dreaded amulet, the two hadn't exchanged a word. It hurt too much to look at her, because everytime she did all she could see was the Dragonborn with another love interest, frolicking through a field of mountain flowers or something else ridiculous. For some reason she would get angry. Even though Aela wanted to stand firm and not speak with Annika possibly ever again, whenever the two locked eyes from across the mead hall her chest would start to hurt, then she would have to retreat to her bedroom to cry all over again and feel foolish afterward. Her cheeks started to burn at the thought. She was acting like a milk-drinker lately and she hated it.

Secretly Aela knew all too well that nobody would truly be able to comfort her besides the Dragonborn. Annika had a way with words and her natural charm didn't hurt anything either. But it was just something about how the Dragonborn spoke, like she understood, like she really cared. Vilkas clearly was bottling all of his emotions up and so was Aela if she could manage, but Farkas rarely spent any time around people for fear of bursting into tears right in front of them. The huntress had tried to talk to him about it once but as soon as she spoke the Harbinger's name aloud he would fly into hysterics. Guilt was thick in the air at all times. There was no more merry-making in the mead hall, only an ever growing stony silence that might have lasted forever. Torvar didn't touch a drop of liquor for fear of being disrespectful of the dead during his drunken stupor. Everybody was affected. Everybody was in pain, some more than others.

After the initial assault Vilkas and Annika left for a good day or so to get rid of whatever remained of the Silver Hand while Aela and Farkas planned the funeral. It took long enough because the two frequently had to excuse themselves to sob in their bedrooms behind closed doors. Aela was good at keeping the tears quiet but Farkas' booming voice always echoed down the halls - no doubt making anybody within them tense and uncomfortable. Tilma would sometimes dab her eye with a handkerchief but would then continue sweeping balls of dust away or cleaning up the empty bottles of mead. Njada rarely left Athis' side, the silver wound still being healed by the healers in the temple of Kynareth. To cover up the whole werewolf thing they would claim the slice was received from a poisoned blade. Ria, being a whelp, seemed the least hurt but Aela had no idea what that girl was hiding behind her composed gaze. If Skjor was there he would have coped by hunting. But Aela couldn't bring herself to transform to quench the yearning to. Kodlak didn't like it when she did that.

Now that the Silver Hand were gone Aela had nothing to preoccupy herself. The usual jobs she used to run now seemed so petty she refused to do them. There were larger things to deal with in the world besides cleaning out a man's house because of a possible skeever threat. She wanted to get herself emotionally straightened before she went back into the game like that. Most of her time was spent at the banquet table, staring at the hearth. From then on whenever she looked at flames she was constantly reminded of the Harbinger. She couldn't help it. This death would stay with her forever, as would Skjor's. Nobody could comfort her. Not then, not ever. It seemed that all hope had been utterly lost. For once in a rare while every Companion was silent as they stood behind her, heads hung low in grief and mourning. She looked at them from over her shoulder. Farkas was fighting back tears by tightly clenching his fists and biting his lower lip so hard it nearly drew blood. Now she too felt her eyes beginning to swell with the unwanted liquid. The huntress clenched her eyes tightly shut.

Crying always made everything so much worse. It just made the hurt deepen and her self confidence lower. It made people take pity on her but she didn't want that - it just made her feel more weak. Scowling at the floor, definitely not wanting to burst into tears in front of all of her Shield-siblings, she turned from Kodlak's resting place and stomped angrily down the steps to the Skyforge, not knowing where she planned on heading but just silently hoping nobody planned to follow her.

A roll of thunder echoed through the still mourning city of Whiterun, alerting everybody of the oncoming rain. Aela glanced up at the sky to see thick grey clouds forming - a perfect weather choice for such a saddening occasion. Her heart sank even further into her stomach. Silver eyes sparkled with tears, a familiar feeling yet na extremely unwelcome one. One of them rolled down her pale cheek but was disguised by rain that started steadily falling from the ominous clouds hanging above. The water quickly soaked her hair and made all of the Companions retreat inside Jorrvaskr while she just stood tensely, hands clenched tightly into fists at her side as she fought an internal war with herself in an attempt to keep the tears back. Njada touched her arm as she passed but nobody else did anything. It was a relief. She didn't want pity, she already had enough of that and received plenty from the pointless heartfelt eye locks from across the banquet table. She grit her teeth. More tears fell out of her eyes and left streams of war paint dripping off her jaw. At that moment she had never hated herself more. Starting to steadily sob the huntress fled into the Underforge, tears rapidly streaming down her cheeks.

The Underforge didn't calm her in the slightest. All it did was bring back unwanted memories, either of she and Skjor, Kodlak giving her the gift the beast blood as she stood as Skjor's side, or even late night talks she would have with Farkas when she wasn't sure about something in her personal life. Most of those things could never happen again, the people who were involved in them now dead. She fell to her hands and knees onto the cold stone, the sobs that she unwillingly emit sounding absolutely pathetic as they bounced off the walls in an eerie way. The huntress wasn't sure how long she stayed that way. Whenever she cried it felt like an eternity before she found the ability to stop. Wiping at her raw eyes, Aela managed to stand - walking towards the ceremonial bowl and placing her hands on the edge. She looked at her reflection at the bottom. Her war paint had almost entirely come off. Not seeing the point of it anymore, the huntress wiped away the rest with her calloused palms, glaring sullenly.

The sound of the stone door to the Underforge being pushed open made her tense up. She moved to the other side of the bowl, remaining in the same position as before but looking up briefly to see who had entered. It was Annika. Still she wore no amulet. Her gaze retreated back to the bowl, a frown making its way to her lips. The Dragonborn stepped forward and stood opposite her, not daring to get too close after their lack of contact for such a long time.

"Hello..." Annika muttered in a soft, cautious tone. It sounded very awkward as the words left her alluring lips. For some reason Aela didn't find the woman as attractive. Maybe it was because her immense grief was suppressing the romance. Or maybe because the Dragonborn now officially didn't want anything to do with her Aela found it pointless to even try anymore. She wasn't sure. But she didn't so much as look in her Shield-sister's general direction or utter a response. Annika cleared her throat, "...I've um... never seen you without your war paint on before." With every word she inched further around the bowl - closer to her. Although the huntress took notice she didn't have the emotional stability to back away fro the Dragonborn. Her eyes were becoming glossy all over again.

Holding her composure by nothing less than a miracle, Aela didn't tear her eyes away from her own reflection, "None of my Shield-siblings have." The words sounded simple but meant so much more. It meant that Aela no longer thought of Annika in that way. It meant that now the Dragonborn was nothing more than a Shield-sister to hr. It meant that Aela was so _hurt _and she needed _help. _But she wouldn't say that aloud.

The air in the room shifted a bit at Aela's words. Maybe Annika had seen through what they had actually said and knew what the huntress truly meant. While Aela struggled to keep her expression stoic and unmoved, she simply prayed that the Dragonborn understood what she was going through to some extent. The next words were also confusing and might have had a double meaning to them. She couldn't tell.

"Is that really all you think of me as?" Annika asked her, taking a full step closer. Not wanting the space between them to get any smaller for fear of losing all willpower, Aela pushed away and took several steps back before gently reaching a wall, pressing herself against it. The Dragonborn followed her a bit, the two now standing a good distance from one another. The huntress didn't like lying, "Just another Shield-sibling?" She sounded offended. Hurt. The glossiness of Aela's eyes intensified but Annika thankfully didn't seem to notice.

_No, not at all. _Aela thought to herself. Not being able to lie but not wanting to tell the truth, she muttered something without meeting the Dragonborn's eyes, "That's clearly all you want us to be..." Her voice was nothing more than a whisper but it seemed like Annika had heard every word. The huntress expected her Shield-sister to get very upset, perhaps even storm out of the Underforge or perhaps become embarrassed. But none of that happened. Instead she received deja vu from such a long time ago - when Annika was still just a whelp and she pinned her against the wall.

Annika moved forward, the space between them closing as she reached up with one hand - gingerly grasping Aela's chin. The huntress' silver eyes widened, unsure of what was going on. The Dragonborn couldn't seem more calm, looking relaxed, even. It was only when Annika truly broke the space between them that her entire world seemed to erupt in confusion.

The Dragonborn brought the huntress' face closer to hers, their lips gingerly touching. Aela marvelled in the feeling of the soft, light kiss and nearly fainted on the spot - just barely managing to keep it together. She had so many sudden questions. She wasn't sure how long their lips remained locked together but her eyes closed in overwhelming bliss. How long had she wanted this to happen? How many times had Annika teased her and only gently brushed their mouths together? Now it had finally occurred. The only thing Aela was sure of, was that when the Dragonborn pulled away from the kiss - after standing there in awe for a few moments the huntress moved in for another.

It was more heated that time. More desperate. Aela knew what she was doing and wasn't in overwhelming surprise through the whole kiss. She felt as if Annika's perfect lips were a prize she had worked hard to claim, a trophy she had worked hard to earn. Now they were hers. And she wasn't planning on letting them leave anytime soon.

The huntress gently bit the Dragonborn's bottom lip, teasing it with her teeth, eliciting a quiet gasp from the beautiful Nord in front of her. Her hands slowly moved forward and pressed against the small of Annika's back, bringing her even closer than they had previously been. The Dragonborn was the first to deepen the lip lock, pressing Aela against the wall and putting her own hands against the stone to steady herself. The huntress was more than willing to comply to furthering the kiss and glided her tongue briefly against Annika's lips, as if asking admittance. Her Shield-sister immediately understood her intentions and opened her mouth ever so slightly, the huntress snaking in her tongue without hesitation. When the Dragonborn emit a low moan into Aela's mouth the huntress was worried she might faint but held it together, smiling into their kiss.

Her hands couldn't help but roam a bit lower, grasping firmly onto Annika's buttocks and making the perfect woman gasp. Aela shoved her tongue deeper into the Dragonborn's mouth, finally forcing Annika to slide her tongue in as well. This caused the huntress to moan, becoming overwhelmed and astonished all over again that this fantastic Nord was doing these things to her. It seemed nearly unreal. Her entire body started to tingle, chills going up and down her spine like lightning. It was amazing. She had never experienced something like that before.

Wanting to take more charge, Aela flipped them around - pressing Annika against the stone wall as hard as she could, yearning to have their bodies as close to one another as possible. The Dragonborn let the huntress take over the kiss entirely, her breathing becoming uneven and fast-paced. Never in her life had Aela felt something like that before. She couldn't define it. For some reason it was more powerful than the usual romantic feelings that enveloped her. Surely there was something that could describe it properly. But she couldn't think of a proper word.

It was only then that she remembered how betrayed and hurt she had felt when she saw Annika without that amulet for the first time. And now she was kissing her passionately. That made no sense. What about her true love interest? The one that she originally wore the amulet for? The mysterious person she had been gone for weeks because of. The romantic feelings became suddenly smaller. The Dragonborn was _teasing _her. Annika knew of her Shield-sister's feelings and was toying with her. The huntress shoved herself away from the woman she had been kissing abruptly, the beautiful woman panting heavily.

Aela felt the sudden urge to leave the Underforge and retreat into her bedroom to burst into tears again. But she wanted to show the Dragonborn that she wasn't just some ploy. Leaning forward again she gently traced her tongue along Annika's lithe neck, making her moan in pleasure. Gingerly pressing her lips to her Shield-sister's ear, she whispered, "Sorry... but I don't get involved with people like that." With that the huntress left, leaving the Dragonborn to breath heavily in the Underforge to herself. Once she exited, the rain hit her face and it stung. Aela slowly walked to her quarters, barricaded her door shut, and lay face first on her bed for hours, sleep not coming once.


	11. XI

**Oh my god guys! These reviews are making me so happy! I'll try to make the updates as fast as I can but sometimes can't find time to write. I've been doing pretty good lately, don't you think? Really though, the reviews are crazy! Please keep them coming! I hope you guys liked the last chapter because personally I've been waiting to write that one for a really long time :)**

It was over. Done. Kodlak's spirit had finally be put to rest. Ysgramor's tomb had been infiltrated, ghosts of fallen Companions being killed once again, and their Harbinger finally cured of his curse. He could now be at peace in Sovngarde. Annika had almost been injured by Kodlak's beast spirit but Aela had just barely saved her life. Yet she didn't speak a word of it. Acted as if it hadn't happened. The two hadn't spoken more than two sentences to one another since that incident in the Underforge. The kiss.

The huntress watched as her Harbinger's spirit faded away after having a brief conversation with the Dragonborn. Aela hadn't been paying attention. Being in Ysgramor's tomb was giving her vivid flashbacks and the constant feeling that she was being watched - but not in a threatening way, more in a comforting way. Like loving relatives watching over their children with pride. Her entire body felt warm. She was lost in thought and memories that she had long since forgotten. It was only when Annika spoke her name that the huntress returned to reality, blinking a few times.

"...Aela?" She sounded so nervous and worried. The huntress wasn't sure how to react to the tone, whether she should be pride because her actions in the Underforge had put her in dominance or to be guilty for causing somebody she cared for so much distraught. She turned to face the Dragonborn, even though she was restraining herself from any romantic feelings that didn't mean she could deny the beauty before her. She looked so cautious. It was only then that Aela really started to feel guilty and regret her decisions not to converse with her Shield-sister. It was too late to take it back now and the damage was done - would keeping up the ruse really do too much damage? "Kodlak said he wanted me to become Harbinger..."

The words hit her hard. It meant that surely her previous Harbinger hadn't thought she was qualified. Not Farkas or Vilkas either, the two twins he had technically raised himself. He picked the newest member of the Companions, the newest member of the Circle. Why was that? Aela shifted uncomfortably where she stood, not knowing how to properly react based on the previous history she and Annika had. Going with her gut instinct the huntress stated calmly, "Really? Well I'm not too surprised. He always had taken a liking to you." She wiped ectoplasm and frostbite spider venom off of her steel blade, averting her gaze from the sapphire eyes.

"Do you agree with his decision...?" Annika timidly asked, sounding far more nervous than she should have felt. Aela didn't plan on lying to the Dragonborn.

"I'm not sure about agreeing, but I do understand his decision making," Pausing for a few moments to think through she was about to say, she tucked some of her crimson hair behind her ear - feeling sapphire eyes watching her every move intently, "You're strong. And you're probably the most level-headed person in the Companions at the present moment. The Harbinger has to be very admirable and is looked up to by everyone... I can definitely see you fitting well into that role." Crossing her arms after sheathing her blade, the huntress forced their eyes to meet again. Clearly Annika was trying to convey something through their locked gaze but for some reason Aela wasn't catching it that time.

The silence that grew was far too awkward for her to endure for such a long time. The Dragonborn's eyes continued to bore holes straight through her flesh while she simply stood in the same spot, finally cracking her knuckles on one hand before turning on her heel and walking straight towards the exit. Farkas and Vilkas had stayed back for their own reasons. She planned on grabbing them before leaving. Kodlak was at peace. There was no point in sticking around to be lost in thought again. As she headed straight towards the nordic doorway, a soft hand grabbing her shoulder caused the huntress to be spun around before she could entirely figure out what was going on.

Next thing she knew, Aela was slammed aggressively into the side of the stone archway, her silver eyes widening as plush lips were slammed against her mouth. Making some mumbling sounds in the back of her throat in futile protest, the huntress wasn't sure how to react to what was going on. While the feeling of kissing the Dragonborn was more than magnificent, and she had wanted to do just that for such a long time, she had wanted to show Annika that she wasn't just something she could toy with. She could fight back, she could tease too. But when she felt the Dragonborn's lips on hers again, the willpower seemed to shatter all at once. Closing her eyes, one of the huntress' hands made its way to Annika's face and rested gently on her cheek. For some reason all of the resistance she had worked up over time suddenly fell apart altogether. It was too hard. Her Shield-sister was the definition of perfection.

The sound of their moving lips echoed through the ancient ruin. Aela completely forgot the feeling of somebody watching over her and all of her senses were enveloped by the Dragonborn's presence. The taste was utterly unique - mainly meat and a bit of mead from a long time before. The feel was amazing as well, soft yet firm. Her scent overwhelmed her. The forge that she now recognized as Skyforge lingered on her skin as well as blood and death from the previous ghostly combat they had endured.

Annika was surprisingly enough the first one who pulled away, the space between them barely broken as she left the huntress desperately yearning for more. Aela thought that the Dragonborn was done with the kissing but was happily proven wrong. Her beautiful Shield-sister closed in again, this time her mouth focussing on the huntress' neck. Surges of pleasure coursed through her body and made her nearly want to scream. Not wanting to draw unwanted attention to the two she bit hard on her lip, only a low moan escaping her. It was only then that she remembered the amulet of Mara again. Annika knew what the huntress felt for her and was teasing her once again. Taunting her. The warmth that radiated from her neck and spread throughout her entire body was wonderful but the huntress knew that she was giving into the lust. Clenching her eyes tightly shut Aela pushed forward with her hands, separating the Dragonborn from her. Annika's eyes opened widely and her face reddened. The huntress simply glared.

"What's going on with the amulet?" Aela asked, her glare remaining. Questioning things in her head wasn't doing any good. She had subconsciously decided to go straight to the source - the Dragonborn herself. Never in their entire relationship had the huntress seen Annika blush so much from embarrassment. She looked as if she might soon literally die from it. After not receiving even a slight response for what felt like hours, Aela added on, "You didn't think I would take notice?" The Dragonborn's mouth was open and she stammered some things the huntress couldn't understand. Becoming frustrated she suddenly lashed out, letting all of the betrayal and frustration leave her in one big flood, "You can't just toy with me, you know?! You can't just pretend that you feel something and then tote that _damn _amulet on your neck! You've known that I have feelings for you and you th-think that it's real funny to rip them up then put them back together again whenever you see fit!" The huntress turned her back to Annika, her eyes becoming glossy as she grit her teeth, "I've had enough. I'm done. I'll see you back at Jorrvaskr, _Harbinger._"

* * *

Aela sat silently at the banquet table, her eyes trained on the door. Farkas and Vilkas had decided to stay at the tomb a while longer, leaving the huntress as the only Circle member inside the mead hall at that moment. Her mind went over the words she had screamed at Annika a while before, wondering it was the proper choice or not. It had seemed so right at the time. But now she was left wondering if she had made a terrible mistake. Her hands clenched into fists beneath the wooden surface she sat at. Njada and Athis still weren't there. He continued to occupy the temple, but the huntress had heard he was walking the day before, unsteadily but it was something. Torvar had passed out, drunk in a chair a ways down the table. Ria was asleep. She was practically alone in the hall, staring at the hearth despite how much the flames reminded her of Kodlak. It was only then that the doors to Jorrvaskr were pushed open. And familiar footsteps headed her way. Her body tensed.

Silver eyes looked up while she idly took a sip of mead from her tankard. Annika stood at the opposite end of the hearth, the crackling flames and smoke making the Nord for some reason even more beautiful by the light of the fire. Aela's chest suddenly hurt from stress and uncertainty. The Dragonborn's brow was furrowed and she looked very conflicted. It made the huntress feel a similar way. Her nails dug into the bottom of the table, most likely peeling away the wood with the force she used. A silence grew. A very awkward and long one. Somehow Aela managed to hold their gaze, silver clashing against sapphire.

Annika shifted from foot to foot, her eyes averting before the huntress' did. Clearly seeming very uncomfortable her voice proved it even further, cracking on the first and last words, "...Aela... I-I want to talk to you. About what happened." In the poor lighting of the mead hall the Veteran Circle member was unable to see the newly appointed Harbinger's eyes. For all she knew they might have been glossy.

The huntress knew that she had to hold her position. No backing down from her sudden outburst, no taking it back or suddenly regretting it. If she wanted to make her point, that Annika couldn't just toy with her emotions, she would have to stand firm. Glaring at the thoughts and becoming suddenly determined, Aela stood from her chair calmly and placed both of her hands on the table. The two Companion's eyes met again. It seemed as if the Harbinger had shrunken down to the size of a skeever, looking absolutely terrified. The guilt she felt was minor but was growing with every moment of silence.

"I already said everything I felt was needed." She watched as the Dragonborn opened her mouth again, this time in slight surprise. Holding it agape, Aela felt Annika watching every move as she walked in the direction of the quarters. The farther she got, the more tense the air became. It took tremendous effort to keep walking. Part of her - the part that simply couldn't get rid of the romantic feelings she felt towards the Dragonborn - wanted to turn around and apologize. But the rest of her, the larger part, knew that would be a bad idea in the end.

"Aela!" Annika called out to her, her voice cracking. The huntress wasn't cold enough to entirely ignore her, so instead she simply looked over her shoulder. A fair hand was extended in her direction but wasn't even close to reaching her, "...wait, I..." She looked so hurt and confused. Although a large amount of the huntress' determination faded inside of her at that moment, her stony, unmoved expression didn't waver. The Dragonborn took a few steps closer, the space between them still very very wide, "...I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

It sounded so sincere and truthful. And although Aela fully believed that it only changed a few things. Annika had still toyed with her like it had been nothing. Annika still had some other love interest somewhere else and she wouldn't confess it, possibly just wanting two. Their locked eyes broke apart - both of them looking away in unison. She had to stand firm. No backing down. The huntress wasn't sure how many times she told herself that in her mind before she actually mustered the confidence to speak again.

"I haven't forgotten about the amulet. Unless you can tell me who you've been seeing, we're done here." Aela retreated down the steps, her cold angry words making the Dragonborn's heart no doubt shattering. Once her own face was out of view, the huntress started to tear up herself. It was so difficult to turn Vvanderfell away like that but she knew it had been the best possible option. She made her way to her quarters and holed up inside, locking the door so she wouldn't be disturbed.

* * *

It had been an entire month. The two Circle Members literally hadn't exchanged a single word since their conversation after returning from Ysgramor's tomb. If Aela had a job to give the huntress she asked somebody else to deliver the message. If the Dragonborn ever walked into the mead hall during one of their banquets, the two might meet eyes before the huntress retreated into the living quarters. It was very difficult to do. Every night her dreams involved Annika. Every now and then she had a terribly realistic nightmare of the two getting into a fight before her love interest would walk in and murder Aela. It was only when she had a particularly mortifying dream that the huntress realized her mistake.

The dream consisted of the two getting into a minor argument. The Harbinger then got more upset than she should have and ran into the rain. Aela went after her just in time - only to see her Shield-sister get struck by lightning. The huntress remembered holding the Dragonborn's charred body in her arms. She woke up in tears, having bit her pillow in her sleep and leaving it nearly in shreds. Coughing up feathers and wiping tears from her cheeks, once she regained her composure Aela immediately left her quarters and ran upstairs into the mead hall, her entire body trembling. Once she got there her hand met Farkas' arm, forcing him to turn and face her.

"Farkas! Where's Annika?!" Now that the huntress was really trying to think, she hadn't seen the Dragonborn in the mead hall in a long time. She simply assumed that the Harbinger was caught up with numerous duties to attend to, also being the legendary Dovahkiin probably not lightening the workload much either. Her grip didn't loosen on his forearm, finding herself nearly being thrown into a panic.

"She didn't tell you?" He asked her, looking thoroughly confused. His brow furrowed and he scratched at his rough beard with his free hand.

"Tell me what?! No!" The huntress started to _really _get frightened then, her entire body becoming stiff as a board. What had happened? Did the Dragonborn run off to get married somewhere? Did she leave the Companions permanently? Did she get arrested, or become affiliated with another group that interfered too much with her role as Harbinger? She felt as if she was going to faint again, a familiar feeling of uncertainty overwhelming her.

"Annika left for Falkreath a week ago. She claimed she had to cross the border into Cyrodiil to return to her family..." He paused for a few moments, "...she also said she wasn't sure when she was coming back."


	12. XII

**Sorry about the update thing again guys :( Oh and happy belated birthday to RatedRSuperStar87! Hope you had a good one and thanks for following this - everybody else too! It's awesome :D**

She wasn't going fast enough. Even though her heels were absolutely digging into her horse's sides, she wasn't going fast enough. Aela's crimson hair whipped in her face, her silver eyes watering from the wind that stung them. Not only that but her heart ached the most. The sound of hooves hitting the road was very loud but the only thing she could hear was her own heartbeat in her ear. It was a surprise to her that her heart was still even beating because of how shattered it was.

How could she have been such an idiot? How could she have ignored the one person that meant the most to her? The person who had comforted her through Skjor and Kodlak's deaths, the person she had watched over and whose life she had saved several times. At the thoughts the glossiness of her eyes got more intense. Yet she wasn't sure if it was from the wind or the pain. Shutting them tightly she held the reins more taut, urging the horse to more quickly by slamming the sides of her boots into the horse's flesh. Never in her life had she hated her decision making in such an awful way.

Why did Falkreath have to be so far from Whiterun? She had been riding this horse ragged for an entire day straight, the sun just barely peeking over the horizon. Aela didn't know if Annika was already gone, was on her way out of the providence, or had taken stops along the way. Being completely left in the dark wasn't helping the pressure already being put on her. If the Dragonborn left it would be entirely her fault. She was the one who acted as if the Harbinger didn't exist. She was the one who acted like her feelings had faded when truthfully she had only been suppressing them. They were still just as strong and continue to eat away at her insides. A tear rolled down her cheek. She wiped it away with the heel of her hand, glaring intensely. She rode the horse harder.

Aela knew all too well that this horse wasn't going to last much longer. It hadn't had a single break since she hastily bought it from the Whiterun stables. Its breathing had become uneven and there were large, painful looking indentations in the side from where she had embedded her heels. She had been scaling the same mountain, travelling up the winding, snowy, unsafe road and just barely missing attacks from ice wolves who chased after her until they finally gave up. Every now and then she even heard the unmistakable roar from a frost troll, but it never once attempted to pursue her. If she didn't get to Annika in time she wasn't sure how to react. Perhaps go into shock? Maybe break down in tears and find herself unable to come out of whatever depressed stupor she was put into? The huntress wasn't sure.

Whatever happened to her that was emotionally damaging was ironically her own fault. Annika had no doubt wanted to speak to her through all of that time, but Aela ignored her. If the two had managed to speak to one another the Dragonborn could have stayed. It was all on her own accord that this terrible thing was happening. The huntress brought one of her hands from the reins and ran her palm briefly down her face, the movement not doing anything to cope with the immense pressure and sadness that enveloped her. Although Falkreath in truth wasn't very far away she felt as if she had ridden through all of Tamriel. Her speeding horse zipped past road signs, pine trees, potentially dangerous bandit camps, and straight through smaller settlements such as Riverwood. Not once did her intense gaze move from ahead of her and not once did she slow her speed. She found it literally impossible.

It was only then that a sole spike covered arrow slammed into her stead's sternum. Aela gasped as the horse whinnied, rearing up before falling backwards. The huntress let out a small yelp from surprise before managing to lunge from the saddle, somersaulting sideways on the ground and hitting hard. Her shoulder made an unpleasant cracking sound and it made her grimace. Scrambling to her feet as she endured the pain, she watched her injured horse flee the area at such a pace she couldn't match it without turning into a beast. Now wasn't the time for that. She had just been attacked. And at the speeds she was going it had to have been by somebody very skilled. Crouching down low to the ground, her hand firmly on her sheathed sword, she scanned the area briefly before spotting her opponent.

It was a Forsworn Briarheart. She had never actually seen one in person, only heard war stories. There he stood, an alchemy ingredient where his actual heart should have been - sewn into the flesh of the undead cultist. In one hand he held an ebony bow, a quiver of spiky makeshift arrows on his back. He hadn't yet spotted her. Aela wasn't sure what to do. The Forsworn looked in the direction her horse had ran before gently setting his bow to the ground and yanking an ebony war axe out instead. The blade looked so ominous. It was only then that the Briarheart noticed her.

The cultist basically leapt on top of her without any warning beforehand. The huntress yanked the weapon from her hip, hoping to run her enemy through with it but finding herself unable to. He was simply too quick. Firm, cold hands latched onto her shoulders, slamming her into the ground backfirst. It was then that she felt the onyx blade pressing firmly against her neck but not yet cutting it. Another rumor she had heard about the odd cult was that they took prisoners to sacrifice. Her eyes widened. How could she prevent Annika from going to Cyrodiil if she was killed?

The huntress brought her kneecaps straight against the Forsworn's spinal cord, making him cry out in pain. He was sent slamming face first into the grass, no doubt getting a mouthful of dirt in the process. As he managed to get onto his hands and knees, spitting out chunks of the ground, she took the chance to bring blade's hilt straight into the back of his neck. Struggling to her feet she put her foot firmly onto the cultist's back, pressing him to the ground with as much force as possible. It was then that the man somehow found a way to roll onto his back, thrusting his blade upwards and landing a shallow cut on her stomach. Gasping in pain, the huntress turned her blade around and impaled the Briarheart straight through the chest. In his last few moments he flailed his arms about, managing to strike her several more times on the arms and legs. Once he was dead she barely took times to examine the wounds before turning on her heel and sprinting straight down the road. The horse was too far away to chase down. And she had to get to Annika immediately.

Her fresh wounds started to ache and sting as the harsh wind hit them. But she couldn't stop. The sun rose higher and higher. Time was flying by. Annika was most likely getting farther and farther away and getting closer to Cyrodiil. For all she knew the Dragonborn might already be there. And that Imperial province was enormous, the biggest in Tamriel. There was no way she would be able to find one sole person out of thousands. The huntress shut her eyes tightly for a few brief moments, tears threatening to spill over her eyelashes. She wanted to scream. The pressure on her chest got more strong and she almost felt like she was going to collapse. Her feet moved so fast it was as if they were simply a blur. Never in her entire life had she felt that much terror and uncertainty. Everything hurt both physically and emotionally.

Falkreath was getting closer and closer. She could see the tops of roofs poking through the pine forest surrounding it. It was in sight. Aela might still have a chance to reach Annika before she left. She prayed to every divine she could possibly think of but the huntress wasn't sure if that would do much. It hadn't helped in the past.

Before she knew it she had entered through the gates. To her left and right there were citizen. The town itself didn't seem lively in the slightest. It was often referred to as Skyrim's graveyard. Although it wasn't very affected by the civil war it had its own hardships to endure. Without even thinking Aelaa grabbed the nearest citizen by the arm, an Altmer priest who looked very startled. He held up his yellow hands in defense, worried that she was mad from the look to her eyes and her numerous wounds. But when her expression changed to that of the emotional pain she had been hiding, his expression softened.

"Have you seen a girl anywhere?! Braids down to her chin, Nord?! She was on her way to Cyrodiil, I _need _to find her!" Her voice made the huntress sound as if she was on the verge of tears, which in truth she was. It was all just too much.

"I-I-I believe a traveller made her way here by carriage and spent the night in Dead Man's Drink... but as I recall she left this morning." He trailed off slowly, the tone of his voice showing that he was dreading her reaction to the news.

Aela found the tears in her eyes becoming more hard to keep back, her fists clenching tightly around the Altmer's robes and making his entire figure tense up beneath her. Although he looked very frightened it also looked as if he was taking tremendous pity on her. That made her feel weak again and her teeth clenched openly, "_Which way did she go?" _Her voice nearly sounded like a hiss, but the glossiness to her silver gaze made her seem less intimidating.

"Further down the road. Headed to Cyrodiil, like you said. If you leave now you may be able to catch her but it's difficult to get past the border without facing some dangerous combat. I suggest you run fast." Barely after the words left his mouth she had already released her death grip on his robes and started sprinting blindly in the direction the elf had pointed. She passed through a gate and out of his sight. She could hear her heartbeat in her ears. The multiple wounds scattered across her body were becoming more and more painful as they continued to be exposed to the chilled air of Skyrim. The urge to sob was causing her eyes to sting as well. But she couldn't cry. She had to catch Annika, the alternative was practically unthinkable. Never seeing the Dragonborn again would no doubt kill her slowly from the inside out. Although the two hadn't spoken a word to one another for such a long while, secretly the huntress had only been kept going from simply seeing the Harbinger in the mead hall - knowing she was alright and well. Now she didn't even have that.

The huntress abruptly heard the very faint sound of hooves hitting road and a creaking wooden carriage. It was difficult to decipher if she was hallucinating or not, her own heartbeat nearly deafening in her own ears. Her eyes widened as she stared far ahead of her, accursed tears blurring her vision and making her too disoriented to see properly. It took five more minutes straight of running. Until finally she spotted it.

A carriage. The only reason she had caught up to it was because it had stopped for some reason, the driver stopping to delve a bit into the woods. And then there was Annika. She didn't look as vibrant as usual, some of the color having drained from her face. Aela stopped short, her mouth dropping open. What was she going to do? Call out to her after all the pain she had caused? Instead she watched from afar as the Dragonborn hoisted herself down from the back of the carriage, stretching. Aela couldn't resist the urge and she shouted the beautiful woman's name.

"_Annika!" _Once the word left her mouth she sprinted ahead once more, her wounds dripping blood now. she watched as the Dragonborn's attention turned to her, brows raised in shock.

"Aela?!" The sapphire eyes scanned her Shield-sister up and down, immediately spotting the numerous wounds. Despite everything that the huntress had done to her, Annika looked terribly concerned. A tear rolled down her painted cheek, "By the Gods, are you alright?!" Aela skidded to as top a fair distance from the Dragonborn while she wanted to be so much closer. The tears stung her eyes but no more came from them. When the huntress instinctively reached forward with one of her hands, just to perhaps touch her Harbinger's shoulder, Annika took a step back to avoid contact. Aela felt her heart shatter nearly beyond repair as her arm slowly dropped to her side.

Her mouth still hung open but she found herself unable to decide what to say. Obviously dozens upon dozens of apologies were in order. If she thought about it too much the guilt would kill her again. She couldn't take that. Before having the chance to start blabbering gibberish, she did her best to form words without planning what came out, "Please, don't leave! I am so sorry, Annika! But before you yell at me, which I completely deserve, please understand that I cannot apologize enough for this to be alright! I was being a fool! A blundering, _arrogant _fool! I simply got envious of whoever that amulet was meant for and when you refused to tell I-"

"-that amulet was for you, Aela." The Dragonborn spoke calmly although her expression showed so many different emotions it was impossible to pick out just one. Aela felt her heart suddenly disintegrate. The guilt became so heavy it nearly made her knees buckle. The tears in her eyes found a new water source and one slid down her cheek. Her Harbinger didn't notice it and her demeanor didn't change.

"Wha...What...?" The huntress's lip began to quiver. Annika simply stared at her dead on, blankly. There was no telling where this conversation was going to go. Aela already felt her emotions and heart steadily shattering into pieces. Her opinion on herself was dwindling to nothing more than a hatred.

"The amulet was meant for you." She muttered, her voice not sounding as confident as before. The Dragonborn was nervous. This beautiful, perfect woman was actually _nervous. _Her cheeks lit up with a very slight blush.

Aela's head started shaking ever so slightly back and forth, the news mind-boggling, "That... the... truly...?" It didn't seem real. It _wasn't _real. Perhaps the Dragonborn was taunting her again - a way of getting her back for not paying her any attention for such a long time. But she wished it was true. She wanted it to be, _terribly. _It was becoming nearly impossible to prevent the tears.

"Truly... I didn't have the courage to tell you. And when you started..." Her expression became less emotional. It got angry. Her brow became a furious glare, "..._ignoring _me... I simply decided against saying anything." Another long pause made the two both tense up, the huntress more than the Dragonborn. Aela wanted to cry and found it a gift from the Gods that she wasn't already. The guilt became more prevalent than it had been before.

"I... I don't know what to say, I..." The huntress brought one of her clenched fists to her eyes and rubbed a few times to try and prevent more tears, "...You have no idea how much guilt I feel for what I have done or how much I regret it..." Her voice cracked once or twice, finding herself unable to control it.

Annika scoffed, and Aela found herself less embarrassed when she noticed the glossiness of her eyes. The guilt became even worse than before at the thought that the huntress may have made this woman cry unintentionally. Another tear rolled down her own cheek. The Dragonborn was definitely finding the words Aela spoke to be ridiculous, "Why are you just realizing this now? Because you found out I was leaving and you still wanted me around to torture me some more?" So much emotion was put into her voice. Whatever remains were left of the huntress' heart had long since been crushed into shards. Aela's head hung low as Annika continued, the huntress finding more words to be unneeded, "Do you know how badly it hurt to see you, in the mead hall, look at me and then just walk _away?_It was worse than the lowest pain in Oblivion, o-or the deepest silver wound!" The Dragonborn's lip was trembling as well.

The huntress took a very small step closer, Annika not looking stable enough to back away. Aela wanted to wrap her Harbinger in her arms and never let her go, she wanted to kiss her and let her know what she really felt. But if she tried either of those things she would obviously be rejected. Now was not the time, especially when they were both on the verge of tears from something that turned out to be a gigantic misunderstanding. Aela once again found herself at an absolute loss for words, the options that came to her mind seeming foolish.

Again trying her theory on not thinking before you let the words out, she simply muttered, "I-I know that you won't believe this and that it's not at all comparable to what I have done to you... but what transpired hurt me as well. I didn't _want _to do it, but speaking with you hurt too much. I just constantly saw you with somebody else whenever we locked eyes with one another and the envy almost made me turn green..."

Annika let out a brief laugh, not at something funny but at something she considered ridiculous, "Who in the world would I be seeing? I am far too busy to have any association with somebody I don't see on a regular basis. I thought that we had enough interactions for something to work, but once you started treating me like a shadow my opinion changed a bit!" Even though the Dragonborn sounded genuinely angry, tears were nearly streaming down her cheeks and it made Aela's expression soften even more. Pity showed in her silver eyes while a roaring fire showed in the sapphire ones glaring at her.

Aela's head hung lower than before, their gaze breaking apart, "When you were doing Kodlak's bidding so long ago, you were gone for weeks. That was when I first started to assume, and you returned without your amulet... I didn't know what else to think..." The huntress' chest felt hollow. If you knocked on her stomach you might hear an echo of some sort, since her heart had long since evaporated. This brief conversation was tearing her apart from the inside out. Her willpower to not burst into hysterics was wearing more and more thin every second.

Annika's eyes were still trained on the silver, even though Aela didn't once look back at her from the sheer embarrassment she felt. The Dragonborn's eyes looked especially similar to the gemstones at that moment on account of the tears making them glisten and sparkle. The huntress' hands clenched into white-knuckled fists at her sides but it did nothing to help cope with the emotions, nor the anticipation of what the Dragonborn might say in response.

"Aela I..." The huntress felt her ears perk up at her Harbinger's change of tone. It wasn't as angry. It had slightly returned to its light, compassionate inflection. A spark of hope lit up inside of her but it didn't grow much, "...I don't know when I started feeling this way. The first time was in the mead hall, when I pinned you to the wall, but that was so minor I barely took notice. It got stronger when you saved my life after my transformation, but after that I had to remind myself of my numerous duties to attend to - and that a relationship would seem absurd. When Skjor passed I had never felt so protective over somebody in my entire life. When Kodlak went I thought I may literally die from concern but it was then you acted as if I hadn't existed, and you gave no explanation as to why. When we... kissed in the Underforge I thought that... that things would be alright between us..." Their eyes met. Another long, steady silence grew as they tried and failed to convey their numerous emotions through the locked gaze, all of the feelings slamming into each other in between the two and falling to the ground at their feet.

"...it was only when you left me there afterwards that I realized I had gotten my hopes up only for you to dash them... I'm not one for tears... but..." Aela felt a few more tears roll down her cheeks and fall from her jaw, these ones being noticed by the Dragonborn. She did nothing in response to them directly other than watching the drops until they hit the dirt. The huntress couldn't believe, couldn't even _think _that she had made Annika cry. It was the worst pain she had ever felt in her entire life. Nearly dying from that Draugr had been a preferable sensation, "...you didn't speak a word with me for months. Every time you did I counted it, cherished it like it was made out of gold. But it was always a single word of greeting. Or a command in the midst of battle. In the tomb you saved my _life. _Yet you acted as if nothing had happened. And... when you praised me, called me strong, it was the words I had been waiting for us to exchange for so long. I couldn't resist the urge and I had to kiss you again. But you pushed me away. You questioned the amulet I panicked. And you just stormed out." A sole tear rolled down Annika's cheek, and Aela immediately took another step forward but her Harbinger extended her hand, stopping the movement.

The Dragonborn let out a shaky, uneven exhale, "I waited for so long. I thought that maybe you would confront me again to ask about the amulet once more. But you never did. And I simply couldn't muster the courage to bring the topic up myself, plus you wouldn't let me get close enough to you for words to be exchanged. I finally managed to convince myself that you _weren't _going to change. That _things _weren't going to change. I told everybody I was leaving but I didn't tell you. I considered it a payback of sorts for everything you caused me... yet it didn't make me feel any better. It just hurt more knowing that I would most likely never see you again... but what's happening now... it made me wish that you never found out. This-" Annika gestured to the fair distance between the two, indicating the situation, "-is far from reassuring."

Aela was so confused. What Annika had said had been perfectly true. But she could barely speak. Halfway through all of the Dragonborn's words an odd feeling started to bubble in her lower sternum. It was warm and fuzzy and she had never felt it before in her entire life, not for anyone. It spread from her stomach to the tips of her fingers, all the way down to her toes. When it made its way to her eyes a few more tears seeped from them. She felt as if there wasn't a proper word to describe it and she stood in silence, mouth slightly hung open, trying to figure it out. Eventually her Harbinger spoke yet again.

"My carriage driver is going after his dog that ran into the woods. Unless you can convince me to stay here before he comes back, I'm going. And there's nothing you can do to stop me." Annika took a step back, closer to her carriage. The pressure was on. Aela felt a newfound force pushing on her chest but the warm fuzzy feeling managed to make it go away. It took a few more minutes.

After a while of silence, their locked gaze never once faltering, a scrawny looking Breton emerged from the thick pine trees dragging a hound behind him by the scruff of the neck. Tossing him gently into into a makeshift dog bed next to the driver's seat, he climbed back into his spot without speaking a single word. The driver was back. Annika was going to go. It was only then that Aela realized what the feeling was. A quiet gasp escaped her lips. The Dragonborn was unaffected again and simply crossed her arms, looking very hurt and conflicted. But unfortunately she stood by what she had said before.

"I guess this is goodbye, then." Annika turned fully around and climbed into the carriage with ease, sitting on one of the wooden benches and staring down at her Shield-sister blankly, "I'm sorry things turned out this way, I suppose. But everything happens for a reason."

Feeling her heart begin to pound so loud she could hear it in her ears, Aela knew that she would have to shake he shock that she felt from the realization and tell her Harbinger. The driver cracked the reins and the horse started trotting steadily forward, the dog happily barking. It was only then that the huntress ran forward and exclaimed as loudly as she could, "I love you!"

The reaction was immediate. Annika held her hand up to the driver and the horse skidded to a stop. Silver clashed against sapphire, Aela's hand extended in the direction of the carriage. Tears were steadily streaming down her cheeks, the warm fuzzy feeling she now recognized as love for some reason making them come out. The Dragonborn just stared at her, as if analyzing what she had just said, her brow furrowed but her mouth agape in surprise.

"What did you just say?" Her Harbinger spoke at a normal tone and it was difficult to hear her from the distance, but the huntress caught the words.

Having already said it, the words left her mouth with ease the next time even though she blushed a bit behind her war paint, "I said I love you..." Her hand slowly slunk back to her side and was held there as if it was simply dead weight. Her entire body went numb.

A silence grew. The driver simply sat there, patting his dogs head while he awkwardly listened in. The horse would stamp his hooves on the stone road every now and then, effectively shattering the quiet. Not once did the two Companions' gaze falter. But the emotions displayed in the eye lock were constantly changing, Annika's more so than her own. Until finally, the Dragonborn gently tapped the drivers shoulder, urging him to continue driving.

Aela watched as the carriage disappeared over a hill. And she fell to her knees, head cradled in her hands as she sobbed openly.


	13. XIII

**Thanks for the immediate reviews that last chapter got, hoped you liked it as much as I loved writing it. Hate to say it but this is gonna be done soon D: I know, I know. But I'll probably think of something else to do. It probably won't be as good as this though. :P **

Aela's raw, silver eyes stared stoically at her untouched mug of mead. It had been too dark to set out again. The huntress didn't know exactly how long she stayed on that road, weeping, but by the time she managed to collect herself enough the sun had long since disappeared from the sky. Now she sat in the very inn Annika had spent the night in - Dead Man's Drink. She picked the seat farthest away from any other people but it was still far closer than she would have liked. Nobody spoke to her but the huntress could feel herself being watched. It wasn't like she could blame them, a newcomer arrives at their town basically dripping blood and tears, donned with ancient Nordic armor and a Skyforge Steel blade. She would have been curious as well.

As she sat her hands idly moved to her wounds, tracing them delicately with her fingertips. It hurt to touch them but she barely even felt the pain, her emotional psyche having shattered into pieces. Her mouth remained slightly agape, still unable to fathom if this terrible reality was true. Every now and then she would clench her eyes tightly, opening them and wishing that she would wake up in her bedroom - this entire thing only being a terrible nightmare. But that didn't once happen.

She had successfully emptied her eyes of all tears out on that road but they still stung as if a sobbing fit was only seconds away. Aela hadn't moved from that spot for hours yet the stares didn't falter. Every now and then the innkeeper would approach the huntress and ask if she wanted a drink, but Aela wouldn't respond. Eventually she was left alone. She exhaled shakily, head hanging low, some of her crimson hair falling into her face. Her mind was flooded with thoughts of the time she spent with Annika. Deep down the huntress knew that it was a bad idea to keep thinking about the Dragonborn but she found herself unable to stop. Thoughts were all she had left. She clenched her eyes tightly shut once more, hearing the sound of a lute being played. The bard was starting up another song.

_Our hero, our hero, claims a warrior's heart._  
_I tell you, I tell you, the Dragonborn comes._  
_With a Voice-wielding power of the ancient Nord art._  
_Believe, believe, the Dragonborn comes._

One of her fingers suddenly dug into one of her wounds on instinct at the horrible, heart-wrenching song. She hissed through her teeth from the pain and frustration, pulling a pouch full of septims from her waist and throwing it full force at the bard. The small cloth bag hit him straight in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. He glared at her but she added on in an infuriated tone, "_Play something else!"_

Her angry words effectively got the attention of everyone else in the inn but she didn't speak again. Aela glared sullenly at the table, finding it the only way to slightly cope though it didn't do much. After a long, dragged out silence, the lute started up once more. Yet it was in a different tone than before - she recognized it as Ragnar the Red. Her shoulders untensed every so slightly but the memories didn't stop.

She remembered when Annika first showed up to Jorrvaskr and she had been absolutely astonished by the beauty. She remembered the first time the two had a real conversation, right before the Dragonborn pinned her against the wall and licked her lips. She remembered finding her in that Nordic ruin - being trapped there while they waited for the storm to stop, and becoming so protective of her when she was wounded. She remembered being held in Annika's arms while she wept over Skjor's death, and she remembered Annika being so frustrated when she wasn't able to heal the huntress when she was close to death. One of the strongest memories had been their first kiss in the Underforge. Now more than ever she wished that she could lock lips with the Dragonborn just one more time, but she was gone. Aela clenched her teeth tightly behind her closed mouth.

Why hadn't she expressed all of these things aloud? If perhaps she told Annika of all the nice memories she had of her, maybe that conversation wouldn't have ended as badly. What hurt possibly the most was that now Aela had discovered her love there was no way she could express it. Never had she felt love that true. With Skjor it felt a bit forced and more sibling-like. With the Dragonborn she didn't at all feel that way. It was as if she was at peace and basking in euphoria constantly. And now all of the happy feelings had become the opposite. She felt as if she was actually living in her own terrible Oblivion. Instead of feeling numb like before she simply felt nothing but pain. Aela's nails dug into the wooden table, ripping chunks of it out as she suppressed angry growls.

If her tear capacity hadn't long since dwindled she would have been sobbing again. What was even worse was that it was entirely her fault. She was the one who ignored the one person she ever really loved. Just thinking about what an idiot she had been made her want to scream. The eyes hadn't yet left her and that wasn't helping with her intense rage. After sitting in silence for a few more moments, she found herself unable to take it anymore. Growling openly, she stood from the bench and stomped towards the door. She basically kicked it down, stepping down wooden stairs into the pouring rain. She wasn't sure when the storm started and she didn't care. Aela slammed the door behind her.

_I'm the biggest idiot in Tamriel... I'll never forgive myself..._ Aela stood in the rain, thunder continuing to rumble and lightning striking all throughout the land. It was if the weather was reflecting her emotions. Only the storm inside of her was far more furious. Her hands clenched tightly at her sides, her several wounds stinging from the water that hit them. Now she couldn't tell if she was crying or not. Everything hurt inside of her, even worse than before.

"Help!" A very distant voice called out. Her spine started to tingle. A guard ran up to her, an elk's head displayed on his shield. Aela gasped audibly in surprise, the guard looking very panicked. A part of the tunic he wore was burnt, his face covered in dirt and some blood there as well. The man grabbed her arm roughly, scaled helm crooked on his dark brown hair, "Please help! A dragon attacked the road and a carriage has been overturned! It burst into flames and I cannot save whoever is inside by myself!"

The huntress gasped yet again. Could it possibly be Annika's carriage? "Which way was the carriage going?!" She asked in a panic. Aela started to get that familiar feeling - like a force was pushing heavily on her chest. It was the familiar pressure, the terrifying thought the woman she loved may die at any moment.

"I-I'm not sure, possibly Cyrodiil?" The guard seemed very confused.

"_What?!" _She exclaimed. Dozens of terrifying images related to the Dragonborn's charred body filled her head and made her anger overpower her, making her lunge forward, grabbing the guard's tunic in her hands and nearly lifting him off the ground with her strength, "_Take me there __now._"

* * *

The fire on the horizon was making her panic on the inside and out. A wooden carriage, tipped over on the stone. A plume of smoke, going high into the night sky. Rain pummelling the roaring blaze but doing nothing to put it out. Aela cried out. From pain, from guilt, and from fear. The guard stared at her. The dragon roared in the distance but it had already flown off. The horse had somehow managed to get unattached from the burning structure and had fled the scene. No people were in sight.

The huntress reached the scene first, her sprint much more frantic than the guard's because she had so much more to lose. They couldn't put the fire out, there was no chance. It billowed and roared, rising high into the air. Silver eyes had long since gone wide. Aela didn't know what to do. She reached slightly forward, the flames already nearly burning her hands to a crisp. All hope dwindled. The huntress stood there for a good minute or so, at a complete loss, until something bittersweet happened.

Another dragon flew in. It dove down and scooped up the guard in its gaping maw, flinging him off to Oblivion knows where. Aela at first considered her luck to be the worst in Tamriel, when the beast suddenly sprayed a stream of ice from its mouth straight at the fire. Without knowing it that dragon just might have potentially killed itself by saving the Dragonborn's life. The huntress gasped yet again as she watched the flames shrink down to nothing, the carriage now simply a pile of charred wood. Although it hurt to grip the planks Aela didn't hesitate in doing so, grabbing them by the armful and throwing them to the side. The dragon continued to fly about them, roaring and causing quite a racket. She prayed that reinforcements from Falkreath would arrive soon, but she was mainly praying that Annika would be alright beneath all of this debris. Tears flooded into her eyes as she kept digging and rooting about but she wasn't finding anything. Her movements became more desperate and frantic.

The dragon dove again, this time much closer to the ground. Aela was forced to turn her attention away from her search for a moment to lie flat on the ground, covering her head with her arms in a form of defense. The soaring beast brought its monstrous tail down hard onto the remains of the carriage, breaking the still slightly standing structure in half. If the huntress had hope left before it had shattered into pieces. Sobs started racking her body and making her shake, the rain not helping her hysterics in the slightest. It was only when she heard the troublesome monster roar again that all of that sadness turned into a blinding rage, even though fear was prevalent in her mind - never having fought a dragon before in her life and not sure how to go about it. Luckily for her it decided to land, crashing against the road nearby. Already the huntress found herself taken aback by how enormous the beast really was and she wasn't prepared for it to lunge at her with its giant head, nearly taking off her hide with its razor sharp teeth that were the size of daggers. She somehow managed to jump back and out of the way.

Drawing her sword in a frenzy, she landed a very shallow blow on its snout but it acted as if it had just severed one of its wings, emitting a furious shriek that made the huntress cover her ears on instinct. While she was trying to recover her hearing, the dragon turned around to take flight - whipping his tail hard into her side. She was sent flying backwards, hitting the debris of the cart hard on her spine and having the wind knocked out of her. Gasping in pain she tried to regain her breath but found herself almost unable to. Somehow Aela found her way to her hands and knees, every part of her body aching with either physical or emotional pain. Her vision became patchy and black in some spots, only managing to take very shallow gasps of air.

The beast landed again, the vibration it gave the earth forcing the huntress to her feet although breathing still seemed like it took far too much effort. She charged at it, her footing uneven and her defenses weak. Somehow, even in her slightly shaken state, she stuck one of the beast's wings and tore part of it through. It wasn't damaging enough to prevent it from flying but it certainly looked painful enough. Out of the corner of her eye she thought she saw movement in the wreckage from where the drivers seat would have been. That scrawny Breton must have somehow stayed alive, or perhaps his dog had been smart enough to take dragon roared in agony, this time slamming its head forward into Aela's chest. Gasping in pain the force of the blow sent her airborne once again, this time she slammed into something soft, face first. It confused her. What could be soft in this environment? It also felt strangely familiar...

Aela lifted her head, blinking a few times. She wasn't laying on top of something, she was laying on top of some_one. _And that someone was Annika.

She was awake, sapphire immediately meeting silver. But more importantly she was _alive. _The huntress already felt her eyes steadily filling with tears, threatening to spill out. Her mouth was held agape. Piles of debris surrounding them shielded the two from the dragon's view. It was as if everything around the Companions froze and went silent. The only thing Aela could hear was their heavy, uneven breathing as their gaze was held. Annika didn't look angry. She didn't seem betrayed or upset with her. Instead she seemed... content. The huntress found herself nearly going into shock. She registered the fact that the two were extremely close together, their bodies pressed flush against one another. The only things that weren't touching were their lips. Annika was the first to change that.

When their mouths met a sensation spread between them that neither had ever experienced. The times they had kissed in the Underforge or in Ysgramor's tomb had been different because neither were positive about what they felt. At that moment something was understood without either having to speak a single word. The love was mutual. It had been proven. Aela smiled broadly into their kiss, never wanting to pull back or let Annika go ever again. The dragon, now injured and clearly unamused with the fight, must have deemed Aela dead and flew off. Neither of them noticed.

An arm was slung around another's neck. Tongues met in a passionate collision, teeth occasionally snagging on a bottom lip. It was impossible to determine who was doing what, the two having formed into one sole being instead of two separate ones.

They laid there for a long while. Neither pulled away or spoke a word. The wood charred around them. Rain reduced heat to nothing. Contact was not once broken.

_Our hero, our hero, claims a warrior's heart._  
_I tell you, I tell you, the Dragonborn comes._  
_With a Voice-wielding power of the ancient Nord art._  
_Believe, believe, the Dragonborn comes._  
_It's an end to the evil of all Skyrim's foes._  
_Beware, beware, the Dragonborn comes._  
_For the darkness has passed and the legend yet grows._  
_You'll know, you'll know, the Dragonborn's come._


	14. Question

**Hi guys, I have a question that I thought I should receive some input on. So I've been really wanting to continue this story kind of, but from Annika's point of view - meaning that I would rewrite this entire fic from her POV. Wouldn't that be interesting? Or would it be excessive and unnecessary? That's why I'm asking you! And also, please tell me if you think I should add in the chapters to this fic or if it should be a separate fic altogether. Thanks!**


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